A UK man who has been accused of raping and murdering his friend has told the jury he “accidentally killed her during sex”.
Wesley Streete, 20, was “trusted” to walk Keeley Bunker home to safety when they arranged to go clubbing after she went to rapper Aitch’s concert in Birmingham with a friend.
However, in the early hours of September 19 last year, Bunker revealed he put her body in a nearby stream and covered it with branches, a court heard.
The missing 20-year-old, who weighed just 41kg, was discovered by her uncle during a search party, in Wigginton Park in Tamworth, Staffordshire, around 23km northeast of Birmingham.
Giving evidence in his defence for the first time today, Streete outlined what he claims happened before her death.
He agreed that he had been at Snobs nightclub in Birmingham city centre with Bunker and another friend, Monique Riggon, some hours earlier before they returned to their home town of Tamworth.
The three of them arrived at Riggon’s home, but Bunker wanted to sleep in her own bed leading to Streete escorting her home.
He claims the pair started “flirting” with one another and kissed before having sex in Wigginton Park.
“I had my arms around her neck and accidentally killed her,” he revealed.
He admitted lying to the victim’s family, friends and the police about what happened because he was “embarrassed” about the incident.
“I was scared and didn’t know how to tell people how she died. I was scared to explain to the police, everyone, and mum and dad,” he said.
Streete said he knew Bunker through infant and high school and told the court they were “friends”.
He said the pair smoked cannabis “about four times a week” from 5 pm or 7 pm or 8 pm at Wigginton Park.
Of the night of her death, he said he thought he “may” have smoked cannabis and was drinking vodka Red Bulls “three cups” at a time.
Streete said he thought he drank nine vodka Red Bulls mixers but could still walk and that he felt drunk when they arrived at Riggon’s house.
Prosecutors have told the jury Streete changed his account at least four times between his arrest and the trial.
Before the defendant began his evidence, jurors were told Streete had the assistance of a professional intermediary in court, sitting nearby but adhering to social distancing measures.
The judge explained the intermediary was “qualified to explain to him in simple terms, if necessary, the questions, and to assess the ability of individuals to understand and follow questions being asked of them”.
Streete confirmed to the jury has had some “problems with reading and writing,” revealing he had left secondary school without qualifications before becoming a packer for online shopping firm Ocado.
The man has also been accused of two further counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and a charge of sexual activity with a child, against three other victims, all said to have happened in previous years.
He denies all charges and his trial continues.
In the UK, the “rough sex gone wrong” defence is set to be outlawed in new domestic abuse legislation at the end of the year, a justice minister told MPs.
MPs have backed an amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill which rules out “consent for sexual gratification” as a defence for causing serious harm.
The family of backpacker Grace Millane, who was killed while travelling through New Zealand in 2018, have called on the NZ Government to reform our laws and ban the “rough sex” defence after it was used during their daughter’s trial.
“We now hope that the rest of the world takes notice, and follows our lead, especially New Zealand. Changes need to be made to protect women and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” the family said in a statement.
“Families won’t have to sit and listen to only one side of the story whilst the victim is re-victimised and doesn’t get to tell their side.
“It was truly horrendous listening to the defence, it felt like Grace was on trial, yet not able to defend herself.
“Hopefully this means no other family has to go through this and men will stop using this defence as an excuse to kill women, knowing they can get a lesser sentence.”
Millane’s killer, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years after Millane was killed in an Auckland city apartment on the eve of her 22nd birthday after a Tinder date.
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