A PUB worker accidentally killed his Grindr date after strangling him so hard he fractured a bone, a court heard.
Josh Baxter is accused of manslaughter after Michael Barron, 38, was found dead in his north Manchester flat on January 26 last year.
A post mortem revealed he suffered from cerebral hypoxia, which is said to be caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, and went into a cardiac arrest.
A court heard Mr Baxter was “sexually motivated by high-risk sexual activity” and choked Mr Barron with such force he fractured a bone and cartilage.
The 28-year-old denies manslaughter and is currently on trial at Minshull Court.
Jurors heard the pair met on Grindr and spoke on WhatsApp before meeting up.
In one of their conversations, the court heard Mr Baxter asked Mr Barron if he would let him engage in “rough” sex, including choking.
The court heard the defendant asked Mr Barron if he would let him “choke him, tie him up, pull his hair, spit on him, call him names, get him so drunk he was weak and defenceless and punch him”.
He also asked if Mr Barron would “do rape role play”, the court heard.
Mr Barron also told Mr Baxter that he enjoyed being tied up, gagged, “pain and torture”.
Mr Baxter told the court he never wanted to hurt his date but said it was all “fantasy”.
He also told jurors Mr Barron said he didn’t want to use a “safe word” when they had been discussing sex and boundaries.
On the evening of January 26, the pair had been drinking together and went out to buy some more alcohol, the court heard.
Mr Baxter claimed they were both tipsy and moved things to the bedroom when they returned to the flat.
He told jurors: “That’s when I started to choke him”.
The defendant said he did it “intermittently” for around five seconds.
Mr Baxter told the court they had sex and “cuddled” afterwards, with Mr Barron appearing happy and comfortable.
He said he fell asleep and later woke up to the sound of Mr Barron snoring.
Jurors heard he got up to order some food for them both and when he went to tell Mr Barron, he noticed part of his face was “light purple”.
But Mr Baxter claimed he could still hear snoring and just thought he was asleep.
He went to pick up the food from downstairs a short while later but when he returned Mr Barron’s face had gone “deep purple” and wasn’t snoring, Mr Baxter told the court.
After cutting the ropes that were still tied around Mr Barron, Mr Baxter tried to get a response from him.
Emergency services were called and Mr Baxter performed CPR while he waited for paramedics.
Investigators later found he had seared on Google “if you accidentally kill someone by strangling them in sex do you go to prison”, the court heard.
In response Mr Baxter said: “I decided to think about what could have killed Michael.
“I was worried I might have accidentally done something. The choking was the only thing I could think of.”
Mr Baxter, of Lakeside Rise, Blackley, denies manslaughter.
The trial continues.
