Man who strangled girlfriend during sex jailed

A man who strangled his girlfriend while they were having sex at his home has been jailed for four years.

Daniel Lancaster, 25, of Colne, Lancashire, told a Manchester Crown Court jury that Anna Banks, 23, enjoyed being throttled during intercourse.

Police found Ms Banks' body at the flat in Hawley Street on 22 December after being called there by Lancaster.

Jurors found him not guilty of murder on Tuesday. He had already admitted manslaughter.

The court heard that the couple had been in a relationship for four months and lived in separate flats in a home for vulnerable adults.

A post-mortem examination of Ms Banks' body showed "well-developed" signs of asphyxia, consistent with fingers and thumbs being placed on the front of the neck.

A pathologist's report found pressure had been applied for at least 30 seconds, but was likely to have been for longer.

Det Insp Mark Rothwell, of Lancashire Police, said: "Daniel Lancaster, quite rightly, deserves to be behind bars and I hope that today's outcome will go some way to helping Anna's family come to terms with their loss.

"This was an appalling crime and such an unnecessary loss of a young woman's life which has left her family completely devastated.

"This has been a very difficult time for Anna's family, but I would like to praise them as they have acted with utmost dignity throughout."