Girl of 16 ‘strangled by pervert with choke sex fetish’
A FOrMer supermarket worker ‘obsessed’ with throttling women during sex strangled a 16-year- old just hours after they met, a court heard yesterday.
James Morton, 24, climbed into bed with Hannah Pearson, who was very drunk, after being introduced to her at her boyfriend’s birthday celebration.
A court heard that Morton had earlier put the teenager to bed at his family home, claiming she had been ‘struggling to stand up’. After sitting astride Hannah and strangling her, Morton called police, who arrived to find her naked and bloody body.
Morton told officers he accidentally killed the teenager in a sex game that went wrong. But he went on trial accused of Hannah’s murder yesterday, where a jury was told her death was ‘ no accident’.
Michael evans QC, said Morton was ‘someone who increasingly enjoyed the sensation of strangling women’, adding: ‘He knew it was dangerous, that is what turned him on.
‘He admitted enjoying the feeling of domination. On his own account, he was sober, she was not. He was in control, she was not. And by his description, he knew exactly what he was doing.’
Mr evans said Morton dialled 999 at 12.11am on July 24 last year and told operators he’d ‘killed someone and it was an accident’. Hannah, from a farming family in the Lincolnshire village of Marston, was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
nottingham Crown Court heard that Morton only met the teenager around seven hours before the 999 call, at a gathering in a Lincoln pub to celebrate the 19th birthday of her boyfriend, Jed Hope.
At the end of the evening, Morton, who was a friend of Mr Hope, invited the couple back to his house in newark. Mr evans told jurors Mr Hope declined the invitation because he didn’t have the train fare, so Hannah went alone – with the intention of returning to her boyfriend’s home the next day.
she and Morton arrived back at the home he shared with his parents, who were on holiday, at around 9.30pm.
Morton later told police he had no intention of having sex when he put the teenager – who had more than twice the legal drink- drive limit of alcohol in her blood – to bed.
But he climbed in beside her and claimed she reached over to him and they began kissing. Morton claimed he helped undress her, then sat astride Hannah and applied ‘light pressure’ with his left hand to her throat.
Mr evans said Morton then stated he put both hands around her neck and ‘increased the pressure to 4 or 5 out of 10’, ‘enjoying the domination factor’, but released his grip after hearing a ‘deep intake of breath’.
He then claimed he ‘massaged’ Hannah’s neck and shoulders, which she seemed to be ‘enjoying’ – but then went silent. When he switched on the lamp, he found her eyes glazed and lips purple. Morton then smashed up Hannah’s phone, telling police it was ‘buzzing’, before calling 999, it was claimed.
He told police Hannah had ‘bounced’ on to the floor after he shook her as it dawned on him she was unconscious, but Mr evans told jurors that was not a plausible explanation.
the prosecutor added: ‘He stated that he has previously put his hands around girlfriends’ throats during sexual encounters. He said that he does not ask before he does this but waits to see if they enjoy it.
‘the defendant says this was an accident. Because of the darkness he did not realise what he had done until it was too late. she was a willing participant.
‘We suggest he has strangled her, he used significant force, and however this started on this night, he has put her in his bed and taken it to a different level.’
A post-mortem examination revealed that ‘significant’ pressure had been applied to Hannah’s neck. Morton denies murder. the trial continues.
‘A deep intake of breath’