An engineer who raped and murdered his girlfriend went to visit two prostitutes as her body lay undiscovered at this flat, a court heard.
Stephen Sexton, 38, strangled Joanna Derkacz, 37, a recruitment consultant, after their relationship broke down and he decided ‘she could not be allowed to go on without him’ jurors were told.
Sexton, a father of one, fractured her neck with his forearm or the crook of his elbow after subjecting her to 12 months of ‘controlling and coercive’ behaviour, it is alleged.
Just two weeks before her death, Miss Derkacz had warned police officers he was ‘evil’ and ‘controlling’ and could ‘flip’ at any time.
But Miss Derkacz and police missed ‘red flags’ and did not realise ‘how far Sexton might go’ jurors were told.
Prosecutor Nicola Shannon KC said that after killing Miss Derkacz, Sexton left his home address on two separate occasions to visit sex workers before her body was discovered her sister.
DNA evidence suggests Sexton forced Miss Derkacz’s head inside a Tesco carrier bag duiring the attack and raped her to ‘teach her a lesson’, jurors were told.
Portsmouth Crown Court, Hants, heard that Sexton has a previous conviction for assaulting his ex-wife and ‘had a history of assaulting his previous partners’. He denies murder, rape, and two counts of coercive or controlling behaviour.
Miss Derkacz was found dead at their home in Waterlooville, Hants, on December 28, 2023. She had fractures on both sides of her neck.
Stephen Sexton, 38, is accused of strangling Joanna Derkacz, 37, after their relationship broke down
Miss Derkacz was found dead at their home in Waterlooville, Hants, on December 28, 2023
Sexton denies murder, rape, and two counts of coercive or controlling behaviour
The court heard the couple had been in a relationship for three years and they rented a flat together with their two dogs, Bella and Teddy.
But Sexton’s behaviour declined when he lost his job and started taking drugs.
Jurors were told that by December 2023 Sexton’s behaviour had frightened Miss Derkacz and she had told her sister he had tried to strangle her but that she had managed to push him away.
He also took her phone more than once and broke a phone and her laptop in fits of anger, jurors were told.
On another occasion he locked her out because she had arrived home 20 minutes late following a night out with friends.
An Apple air tag tracker had also been hidden under one of the front wheel arches.
Nicola Shannon KC, prosecuting, said: ‘Over the months it had involved jealousy, paranoia and attempts to control and isolate her.’
On December 11, two police officers went to see Miss Derkacz as part of a ‘welfare visit’ and she told them he was ‘very controlling’ and ‘narcissistic’ and ‘he doesn’t like it when I go out’.
She told the police that his behaviour is ‘tormenting’ and that he is ‘evil’, adding: ‘I don’t think he is bipolar but when he flips he cannot stop’.
Ms Shannon KC said she mad a ‘fatal mistake in underestimating him.’
‘It is one of the tragedies of this case, you may think, that although Joanna was wary, and there were, in retrospect, so many ‘red flags’, neither she, nor the officers, seem to have realised how far Stephen Sexton might go when he realised she was slipping from his grasp.
‘Her optimism and compassion may, we say, have cost her her life.’
Ms Shannon said Miss Derkacz was ‘arguably more successful than him in her career and had a wide circle of both friends and colleagues’.
She also kept herself fit, going to the gym regularly and neighbours spoke of a petite young woman who was always well presented.
But added: ‘That apparent stability, however, was a thin veneer on what was, in reality, a toxic and abusive relationship in which we say his behaviour was jealous, controlling and coercive.
‘His jealousy and paranoia also became worse when either on drugs or alcohol and his behaviour declined generally after his business failed, and was then liquidated.’
Ms Shannon told jurors messages between the pair show Miss Derkacz had ended the relationship.
‘The prosecution case is that it is inconceivable that against that background she would have consented to sex that night.’ Ms Shannon KC said.
She continued ‘You may think that Sexton’s motive was simple – when it became clear that she had finally decided to exclude him from her life, he decided that she could not be allowed to go on without him.’
After Sexton’s two visits to prostitutes, he returned home in the early hours. Miss Derkacz’s body was found by her sister, Arleta, who went to the flat after being unable to get in contact with her.
When she arrived the door was unlocked and the dogs were running around – ‘seemingly agitated’.
Sexton appeared at the top of the stairs looking ‘really scared’ and denied that Miss Derkacz was there saying she was ‘out with friends’.
Arleta said she was going upstairs to see her and pushed him away and ran upstairs where she saw her sister ‘lying on the bed, lifeless. She saw her skin was grey’.
She ran downstairs and started shouting ‘You killed my sister, you killed my sister’.
When officers arrived in the morning they found Sexton sitting in the shower cubicle with both arms cut, bleeding heavily from a large wound to his left forearm.
He appeared to be ‘in a trance and lethargic’ and police suspected he had taken drugs and when confronted he said ‘please let me die’.
After searching the room at his house in Waterlooville, Hants, they found traces of vomit, a pestle and mortar with white powder in it, a £20 note and other banks cards.
The white powder was later confirmed to be cocaine although a later toxicology report on Sexton only found cannabis in his system.
Ms Shannon KC said: ‘The cuts to Sexton’s forearms had the appearance of a suicide attempts. Although badly injured, he remained conscious when police found him and shortly after that he was arrested for murder and cautioned.
‘The only response he made to the caution was to say ‘Please let me die’.’
She confirmed that the knife was later found in the kitchen sink.
The court heard Sexton has a son from his previous marriage to Tara Sexton and has a criminal record for an attack on her.
Ms Shannon KC said: ‘You will hear evidence of Sexton having convictions for assaulting Tara Sexton and for damaging her mobile telephone.
‘Sexton had a history of assaulting his previous partners.’
The trial continues.
