Man strangled partner to death after night out

A man accused of murdering his partner claimed her death was the result of "sex gone bad", a court has heard.

Victoria Thomas, 45, was found dead at a house on Caerphilly Road, Cardiff, in the early hours of 20 August.

Alcwyn Thomas, 44, admits manslaughter, but denies murder.

At the opening of his trial, jurors at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard the defendant "confronted and attacked" Ms Thomas after a night of heavy drinking and taking cocaine.

The couple had been out to the Club 3000 bingo club in Gabalfa, Cardiff, on 19 August, the court was told.

Mr Thomas was described as "argumentative and moody" after drinking heavily and taking cocaine.

They returned home to the Heath area of the city where Ms Thomas went to sleep in her son's bedroom, rather than the couple's shared bedroom, jurors were told.

She was later found dead, the court heard.

A post-mortem found Ms Thomas had been strangled to death with sustained pressure to her neck.

The couple had been together for four years at the time of her death.

Prosecutor Michael Jones KC told the court: "The defendant admitted initially strangling Victoria Thomas but maintained his account that her death, to use the defendant's words, was 'sex gone bad' and during erotic asphyxia at her request, she died."

The court heard that at about 23:00 BST on 19 August the defendant's sister Laura Thomas received a text from Ms Thomas' phone that appeared to be written by the defendant, saying he had "done something so bad".

He sent a similar message to his sister Sara Brain who rang the defendant's niece Ffion Woodgates and told her about the messages.

The court heard she also rang Ms Thomas' phone and thought she heard Mr Thomas say: "Victoria is dead and I have killed her."

Shortly after that call, the prosecution said Ms Woodgates received a call from the defendant on Ms Thomas' phone saying he was "only joking".

Just after midnight Ms Woodgates and her friend Shane Sullivan went to Ms Thomas' house on Caerphilly Road having become concerned she was not answering her phone.

Jurors heard Ms Thomas was found unresponsive wearing a dressing gown on the floor of a bedroom on the top floor.

Mr Thomas was found asleep in bed in a room on the middle floor. The defendant said he had taken an overdose, the court heard.

He was arrested on suspicion of his partner's murder and later admitted manslaughter.

Mr Jones told the court the defendant admitted initially strangling Ms Thomas but said he "genuinely didn't mean to kill her".

In a letter to his daughter, the defendant said: "Just so you know I did not murder Vikki, it was sex gone wrong".

"They will explain when you're older and ready. It definitely means I didn't do anything wrong, I did it and will have to pay the price."

Concluding his opening statement, the prosecutor said Ms Thomas was in a "vulnerable position" when the defendant "confronted and attacked her after a night of heavy drinking and taking cocaine, and was in an argumentative mode in texts on the way home".

"When she was confronted by this drunk and aggressive man, when a witness heard her screaming, this defendant literally took matters into his own hands and he murdered her," he said.

"The prosecution say that in killing her, rather than trying to go to her assistance or run to a neighbour or to summon help or even call for an ambulance, he thought about the consequences of what he had done initially and rang members of his family."

Mr Jones said that "far from Ms Thomas wanting to engage in consensual sex in her son's bedroom, she went there to get away from him".

"He put his hands around her throat and strangled her to death. We say he is guilty of murder."

Mr Thomas denies murder and the trial continues.