Businessman 'beat high-class escort to death before sending porn to other sex worker'
A finance chief battered a student turned high-class escort to death with a pestle in a "unnecessary and pointless" killing, a court heard today, Mirror reported.
Zahid Naseem, 48, is said to have struck Christina Abbotts 13 times on the back of her head and then possibly strangled her.
A court heard today Ms Abbotts, 29, was found dead in a bed in Crawley, West Sussex, after friends raised the alarm when she failed to turn up to her own birthday party.
The sex worker, who had studied in Oxford and Cirencester, Glos., had been house-sitting for a mate who was away travelling in May this year.
But after he allegedly killed her, Naseem stayed in the room for 12 hours, sending a pornographic picture and a pornographic film to another sex worker and pretended to be unconscious when police broke down the door.
Christina Abbotts was found dead in a bed at a property in Crawley, West Sussex (Image: Facebook)
The dad was pictured arriving at court today (Image: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures)
Christopher Tehrani, prosecuting, told Lewes Crown Court today the freelance financial consultant had met Ms Abbotts a number of times before the death.
He said: "He murdered Christina Abbotts. In short, the prosecution say the assault Christina Abbotts suffered which resulted in her death was brutal, savage, unnecessary and pointless.
"You will hear she had an active social life.
"Unknown to many of her friends and family she was a sex worker. In some quarters she would be described as a high-class escort."
The 29-year-old was said to be a popular and outgoing student (Image: Facebook)
Naseem, who lives in Amersham, Bucks. with his estranged partner and two children, wore a dark suit, white shirt, burgundy tie and glasses as he sat quietly in the dock in front of a public gallery packed with relatives and friends.
The dad and Ms Abbotts were seen buying alcohol in a nearby shop in the days before the death and, when police searched the flat, a blood-stained bottle of Courvoisier brandy, cocaine and poppers were found.
No one heard from Ms Abbotts after midday on May 25, which was "very unusual", the court heard.
When she did not turn up to her party, friends rang the police.
The defendant denies murder (Image: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures)
One of them, Roshan Periag, was so worried he drove to the flat in the early hours of the morning to try to find her before going to the nearest police station.
When officers arrived at the scene and broke down the door, Naseem was found lying motionless on the sofa with his eyes flickering.
He appeared to respond to light and a paramedic was "sceptical" that he was unconscious, the court heard.
After being arrested he was taken to hospital to be assessed where doctors discovered injuries consistent with self-harming.
He was discharged before being questioned by police.
He claimed the last thing he could remember was "passing out" after the pair met up in the flat, the court heard.
But Mr Tehrani said: "The prosecution say there was nothing wrong with him. He was play acting."
Ms Abbotts was discovered dead after she failed to show up to her own birthday celebrations (Image: PA)
Examination of his phone found he had sent another sex worker a pornographic picture and a naked video of himself in the flat appearing to masturbate in the hours after Ms Abbotts is thought to have been killed, the court was told.
Officers found a mortar - the other half of the pestle set - in the kitchen.
Naseem's fingerprints were found in blood on the side of the bath, on a meat cleaver in the kitchen and on Ms Abbott's iPhone, the court heard.
Blood was also found in a half-filled bath with a knife at the bottom and other knives on the sofa, the jury was informed.
Mr Tehrani said there was no sign of forced entry and that "only someone with the powers of Spiderman" would have been able to access the flat in the top floor of the block in the Gossops Green area of the West Sussex town.
A post-mortem found she died of blunt-forced trauma to the head, sustaining 11 tears and two bruises, and there were signs of attempted strangulation on her neck.
Naseem denies murder. The trial continues.
Via Mirror