A man jailed for murdering Basildon, debt collector Tina Cantello, has died in prison.

Geoffrey Hutton, 39, of Basildon, Essex, was serving a life sentence for fatally stabbing mother-of-three Tina Cantello.

The Prison Service said he died on Friday in HMP Long Lartin, a Worcestershire jail that houses some of the country's most dangerous inmates.

In June, cocaine addict Hutton murdered 49-year-old Ms Cantello before stealing about GBP60 from her handbag and trying to contact his drug dealer.

He was jailed for life with a minimum of 30 years in November.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "HMP Long Lartin prisoner Geoffrey Hutton died in prison on February 8. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

"As with all deaths in custody there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman."

The circumstances of his death are not believed to be suspicious.

Ms Cantello, who worked for a small loans company, was reported missing by her family after going to Hutton's address to collect a payment. Her body was found with 30 stab wounds in his Derby Close home.

Hutton denied murder but a jury swiftly convicted him after a two-week trial.

The maximum security prison where he died has housed numerous high-profile prisoners including radical cleric Abu Hamza and murderer Christopher Halliwell.

It has previously been the scene of large-scale disruption, with six prison officers injured in October 2018 after a disturbance.