A marine engineer visited a prostitute after killing his partner as he was 'aroused' by raping and murdering her, a court heard.
asserted
court → visit → her
Stephen Sexton, 39, strangled Joanna Derkacz, 37, a recruitment consultant, at their flat after their relationship broke down, it is alleged.
asserted
it → strangle → flat
Sexton then took her car to visit a prostitute after sending the woman a message saying 'I'll be there in 20 minutes ok baby' jurors were told.
asserted
jurors → take → minutes
Prosecutors said Sexton's 'first thought after the point of death was to try and find prostitutes', adding 'it may be that the act of killing her had raised arousal.'
Sexton, a father of one, allegedly strangled Ms Derkacz using his forearm or in the crook of his elbow after subjecting her to 12 months of 'controlling and coercive' behaviour.
He then proceeded to contact two prostitutes immediately after her murder, the court heard.
uncertain
court → try → murder
Ms Derkacz was killed less than three weeks after she had warned police about his behaviour – saying he was 'very controlling' and could 'flip' at any time'.
uncertain
he → kill → time
Sexton denies murder, rape and coercive or controlling behaviour.
asserted
Sexton → deny → murder
Stephen Sexton, 39, is accused of strangling Joanna Derkacz, 37, after their relationship broke down
Miss
asserted
relationship → accuse → Derkacz
Derkacz was found dead at their home in Waterlooville, Hants, on December 28, 2023
Sexton denies murder, rape, and coercive or controlling behaviour
Ms
asserted
Sexton → find → murder
Derkacz was found dead at their home in Waterlooville, Hampshire, on December 28, 2023.
asserted
Derkacz → find → December
It was heard that the pair had been sleeping in separate bedrooms for some time as their relationship had been breaking down.
asserted
relationship → hear → time
Nicola Shannon KC, prosecuting, said Ms Derkacz had sent Sexton a message saying: 'Do you understand that you have been abusing me mentally and physically.
'
asserted
you → prosecute → me
You have cheated on me with multiple women and controlling me.
asserted
You → cheat → me
I don't know what u don't understand here.
asserted
u → know → what
'You fucked up big time.
asserted
You → fuck → ?
You are sick by even thinking that what u saying [sic] is important.
asserted
saying → think → what
Not only that I can't trust u not only with women but I don't feel save [sic] around you.'
asserted
I → trust → you
She then blocked his number.
asserted
She → block → number
The court heard Sexton then spent most of the night at a friend's house before travelling to their flat after becoming 'pretty worked up by being blanked by Joanna.'
asserted
Sexton → hear → Joanna
Ms Shannon said Ms Derkacz was in the bathroom facing the sink and had a connection to Spotify on the speaker – indicating that she was listening to music and may not have heard Sexton come in.
uncertain
Sexton → say → music
She said he may then have put a bag over her head before pulling her a short distance to the bed where he raped and strangled her.
uncertain
he → say → her
Ms Shannon KC said that there was a call made on Ms Derkacz's phone at 12.59am which went unanswered – which she suggested Sexton made to locate the phone.
uncertain
Sexton → say → phone
She said: 'You will hear evidence which indicates that the pink phone was not opened again that night with her face ID - something which you may know from your own experience happens very easily when you pick up your phone.
uncertain
you → say → phone
'More evidence, we suggest, that Joanna Derkacz did not have use of her phone again that night and was, almost certainly, dead by then.'
Ms Shannon said Sexton went on a site called 'Portsmouth Escorts. Escort and Erotic Massage' and sent a message saying: 'Hey baby are you still working?'
asserted
you → suggest → message
The woman then sent him a postcode and he launched Apple Maps and searched for that postcode.
asserted
he → send → postcode
He then texted back saying: 'I'll be there in 20 minutes ok baby.'
asserted
I → texte → minutes
The court heard he took Ms Derkacz's car and phone, as well as his two phones, with him.
asserted
he → hear → him
Ms Shannon said: 'Stephen Sexton's first thought after the point of death was to try and find prostitutes in Portsmouth.
'
asserted
thought → say → Portsmouth
Whatever had happened between them in the house it appears that the arousal that we suggest was part of the rape was not fully satisfied.
asserted
we → happen → rape
It may be that the act of killing her had raised arousal.'
uncertain
act → kill → arousal
Jurors were told Ms Derkacz suffered internal fractures of bones on both sides of her neck where pressure had been applied externally.
asserted
pressure → tell → neck
The court heard the couple had been in a relationship for the last three years – one which the prosecution say had become controlling and coercive over the year before after Sexton lost his job and started taking drugs.
asserted
Sexton → hear → drugs
Prosecutors said that by December 2023 Ms Derkacz was frightened of Sexton and had told her sister he had once tried to strangle her.
asserted
he → say → her
'He also took her phone more than once and broke a phone and her laptop in fits of anger,' Ms Shannon said.
asserted
Shannon → take → anger
'Over the months it had involved jealousy, paranoia and attempts to control and isolate her.'
asserted
it → involve → her
She said on one occasion he had locked her out of their home because he said she had come home 20 minutes late from an evening out with friends.
'
asserted
she → say → friends
She took shelter with one of those friends Daria.
asserted
She → take → friends
His response to not knowing where she was to report her missing to the police, no doubt hoping that they would find her for him.
asserted
they → know → him
The episode backfired, however, because it acted as the trigger for her asking him to move out and for her telling the police about the breaking of her laptop and his abusive behaviour.
asserted
her → backfire → laptop
He didn't move out immediately - their dogs had just had a litter of puppies and it was agreed that he could stay until they were sold, but they lived in separate bedrooms.
uncertain
they → move → bedrooms
On December 11, two police officers went to see Ms Derkacz as part of a 'welfare visit' and she told them that he was 'very controlling' and 'narcissistic' and 'he doesn't like it when I go out'.
asserted
I → go → it
…and 24 more, not listed.
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