'Someone tried to rape me and I've killed them': Forest Bank prison officer murdered friend during 40th birthday party, trial hears
A prison officer accused of murdering a friend on his 40th birthday by strangling him to death feared he was going to be 'raped or sexually assaulted', jurors have been told.
He said in the morning Mr Johnson and his then housemate, a fellow prison officer at HMP Forest Bank in Salford called Ellie Smith, went to Mr Toulson's flat along with a second woman, Nikki Burns. Afterwards, they attended a Bottomless Brunch drag event in the Canal Street area of the city centre, which Mr Ford said was a 'lively and raucous occasion' including performances from various drag acts and a Beyonce look alike.
Ms Smith's partner Paul Tomlison, also a prison officer, received a WhatsApp video call from Mr Toulson at 4.12pm in which he was stood topless on his balcony and said: "I’m the gay one, and I’m still standing", the court was told. However, several minutes later Mr Johnson made a second call in which the court heard he said: “I think I’ve killed my friend.” He sobbed as he told the operator that his friend had told him he had some cocaine back at the flat but had given them ketamine, and that the two women had passed out and that his friend 'hadn't moved for the past 20 mintues.' He gave the address by reading it off a piece of Mr Toulson's post and emergency services attended.
He said as well as evidence of neck compression, there were several other areas of bruising to David Toulson’s head and body, and that they indicated 'possible weapon strikes or traumatic blows and, in any event, suggest that a violent struggle or fight took place', Mr Ford said. "We say it was more than a choke-hold," Mr Ford told the jury. "The prosecution recognise the three surviving friends will have been devastated by the loss of Mr Toulson, as his own family is.
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