A former butcher "displayed" the severed head of his victim deep inside a dark underground tunnel, Cardiff Crown Court has heard.
Christopher Nigel May strangled Tracey Woodford, 47, to death before dismembering her body in what has been described as a sexually motivated attack.
Her head was later discovered lying on its side 138 metres inside a storm drain near Pontypridd rugby club.
Prosecutor Roger Thomas QC described how officers made the grisly discovery.
"One does have to consider what this involved: the defendant carrying a body part and a human head across Pontypridd into a dark tunnel, walking in for 138 metres," he said. "What was the purpose of displaying the head in that manner [on a ledge] ... Why would a man behave in this way with a woman's head?
"It's a very strange thing to have done - to put a head in this location."
The court heard May used to be a butcher. A colleague described him as "very good" at using boning knives, removing ligaments and spinal columns.
"It seems that his experience in the butcher's shop had been put to use on a human body," the prosecutor said.
May, 50, admits causing Tracey Woodford's death but denies murder.
The trial continues.
Additional reporting by Press Association
