Mark Dixie, the man accused of murdering model Sally Anne Bowman, has spoken of his regret at having sex with her body.
The 18-year-old was found dead in a pool of blood in the driveway of her home.
The prosecution at the Old Bailey say pub chef Dixie stabbed her seven times and raped her as she was dead or dying. Dixie, of no fixed address, denies murder.
Dixie, 37, said he found the corpse after a drink and drugs binge and did not realise she was dead until after having sex with it.
He said he left the flat of a friend nearby at around 4.30am on September 25, 2005, to buy more cocaine when he saw a pair of legs in front of the house in Blenheim Crescent, Croydon, south London.
Asked what he thought, Dixie said: "I have gone over it during the last three years. I don't know what went through my mind.
"I crouched down from behind where the legs were. I took full advantage of someone and I should not have done it."
He said there was no reaction during the sex attack, even when he bit her.
Dixie said he realised he would have to cover up his DNA and placed cement dust and concrete from a skip on the body. He said he then ran back to the friend's flat in Avondale Road at 4.55am.
Sally Anne's mother, Linda, sat in tears a few feet away and later left the court as Dixie continued his evidence. The trial continues.
