A jealous husband killed his wife in a fit of jealous rage when she refused to have sex with him, a court has heard. Martin Cavanagh, 35, allegedly strangled Sophie, 31, at their flat when she turned down £100 in exchange for intercourse.
Her body was found the next morning under a duvet in her bedroom in May this year and he is now on trial for murder.
A court heard yesterday that they separated on Boxing Day in 2016 but continued to spend time together and the day she died they went to a wildlife park and pub together. Prosecutor Alexandra Healy said: ‘The defendant had a controlling, jealous and possessive manner both during the period of time that they were together in that relationship and after a point in time when they separated but remained married.
He had a short fuse and got angry quickly. Mr Cavanagh continued to be jealous and tried to control Sophie. ‘If she attempted to start a relationship with other men they would not last long because he would find out and control the people she was talking to.’ Text messages show he told her that she was ‘rubbing salt into his wounds’ by seeing other men and he told her ‘I want to have you one last final time’.
Phone records also show Sophie’s phone had been used until shortly after midnight on May 20. Miss Healy said: ‘It is an indication that whatever led to the defendant strangling Sophie, that his jealous obsession with finding out with whom she was in contact with on her telephone played a part.’
Police found him unhurt, indicating he had pretended to injure himself on camera. Miss Healy said: ‘The recordings demonstrate the state the defendant was in when he was obsessing about Sophie being with other men and was consumed with his jealously. ‘It shows the powerfulness of that jealousy and how it impacted on his behaviour.’ He is also alleged to have hacked into her match.com account where he changed her profile picture and wrote that she enjoyed anal sex. The trial continues.