A 52-year-old man has been jailed for six years over the death of his partner following alcohol and drug-fueled bondage game.
Warren Martin Coulton reportedly tied up 38-year-old Claire Wright during a bonding session at the Herons Lake Retreat.
However, he fell asleep while his partner was still restrained and she suffocated to death.
Coulton woke up and found her dead but he immediately fled the scene.
Mold Crown Court heard that the businessman, who was an operations manager, had inserted a pink sock in Wright’s mouth and may have put a tape over it.
The mother’s body was found by staff and it was determined that she died from asphyxia.
Wright’s grieving daughter, 15, told the court how she had expected to outlive her mother. “My childhood has been ruined forever,” she expressed.
Prosecutor Caroline Rees QC said the couple brought ties, gloves, white tape, and red tape to the resort for bondage games.
The jury of five women and seven men took less than two hours to give their verdict following a trial that lasted a week.
Coulton was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence of Wright and he was sentenced to six years behind bars.
“Either way, you were negligent and grossly so,” said judge Mr. Justice Simon Picken. “It was your choice to drink to excess and take drugs. You did not have to do these things (but they have had) disastrous consequences.”
Adam Kane QC, defending, argued that the partners were engaged in a consensual activity when the tragic incident happened.
“There’s no doubt these tragic circumstances were not desired and the outcome not sought by this defendant,” he said.
Detective Constable Lee Harshey-Jones said: “This was a tragic and needless death of a woman described by her friends and family as being a loving and caring mother.
“Coulton had a responsibility to look after Claire’s welfare and he failed to do so with tragic consequences. It was Coulton’s failure and lack of care towards Claire which ultimately led to her untimely death.
“Today the court has recognised this failure, and he has been sentenced having been found guilty of manslaughter with gross negligence. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Claire.”
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