Choking dream ‘does not sound very believable’ says defendant
MAN DENIES ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE
A DERBY builder has told a jury he knows his claim that he choked his partner while dreaming he was cage fighting “does not sound very believable”.
Under cross-examination, Bradley Souto said he did not recall telling a 999 operator he “ran a rampage” when he choked Rebecca Jackson.
Souto, 31, of Alvaston, is on trial at Derby Crown Court for the attempted murder of Miss Jackson at their then home in Farm Drive.
He denies the charge, saying he was not trying to kill the mother of his two children when he woke up from his cage fighting dream and was choking her.
Prosecutor Jonathan Straw, crossexamining Souto, said: “You tried to kill her, you choked her and you even told her while you were doing it that it would soon be over, didn’t you?” Souto replied: “No.”
Mr Straw continued: “But sadly (for you) she was alive, you panicked and realised exactly what you were going to be done for because it was exactly what you had done.”
Souto replied: “No.”
The trial, now in its second week, has been told how Souto and Miss Jackson had been in a relationship for around 10 years. During 2018, his alcoholism spiralled to the extent he was drinking as many as 18 cans of Strongbow cider per night. Souto said after seeing his then partner struggling to breathe and purple in the face, he rang his mother “for comfort”. She told him to call for an ambulance. When paramedics arrived, he went downstairs and cut his wrists in an apparent suicide attempt.
Mr Straw asked him: “Why go downstairs, take a knife and cut your wrists?”
The defendant replied: “The way the paramedic told me to get out of the bedroom I started to realise how it looked, that I had done it on purpose.” Mr Straw asked: “How did it look?” Souto said: “That what happened does not sound very believable and I did not want to have to come to this, to stand in front of 12 people (the jury).
“I knew I would be accused of killing her.”
Mr Straw said: “Why did you know you would be accused of killing her at that stage?”
Souto replied: “Because it (his account) does not sound very believable, I wanted to get Becca the help first.”
Mr Straw said: “But you did not get Becca help first, you phoned your mum.”
Souto replied: “I did not handle the situation properly. I was on my own, scared, looking for comfort and that’s my mum. She told me what the right thing to do was (call 999) and I did it.”
Mr Straw said: “We have heard the 999 call you made and in it you said ‘I choked her out, I was in a rage of anger.’ What did you mean by that, Mr Souto?”
The defendant replied: “I know how it sounds, it sounds like I did it.”
Mr Straw said: “You told the operator you ‘ran a rampage.’ Do you remember saying that Mr Souto?”
He replied: “No.”
The trial continues.