Escort made plan to leave millionaire, court is told
AMULTI-MILLIONAIRE decided to strangle his girlfriend when he heard her making plans to leave him after he gave her a property, a court heard.
Peter Morgan, 54, denies murdering his escort-turned-girlfriend Georgina Symonds at his bungalow in Llanmartin on January 12 and is on trial at Newport Crown Court.
Asked about his motivation, the defendant told police: “She said she was going to wait until I’d signed the property over and then do me over.”
The court heard 25-year-old Ms Symonds was working as an escort when the pair met online, but Morgan was under the impression she wanted to give up the work.
He told police he allowed her to live in a bungalow he owned rentfree and offered to sign it over to her.
The married father-of-two admitted installing a listening device at the property, but told police: “I wasn’t listening in – it was more concern.”
Morgan claimed he used the device because he did not like Ms Symonds taking cocaine and wanted her to stop.
Two days before the incident, he heard her saying she could make more money as an escort in London and making plans to leave him.
He told officers: “I was just lying in bed, thinking what I could do.”
Asked about his intentions, he replied: “To go down there, throttle her and try to worry her.”
Morgan told police he planned to strangle his victim because he could not think of another way to kill someone and did not want to make a mess.
He added: “I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it, when it came to it.”
The defendant told officers he put the rope around Ms Symonds’ neck “to frighten her”, before loosening it again.
He claimed he wanted his victim to apologise, but instead heard her say: “You’re going to pay for this.”
Morgan said: “I didn’t think I would physically have it in me to kill someone – I find it difficult to kill animals.
“It wasn’t hatred either, it was sort of the only option.”
The defendant claimed he killed Ms Symonds because he realised he would already be in trouble for attempted murder.
He added he was worried she would tell his family how they met and show them a compromising photograph.
Morgan told police: “It’s not something you do lightly, is it? Premeditated murder.”
He added: “I couldn’t believe how cool and calm I was. I still don’t feel emotional now. I’m not an emotional person.”
Morgan, from Abergavenny, denies murder on grounds of diminished responsibility.
The trial continues.