Eagerness to satisfy barmaid in bed caused her death, claims murder accused
An ex-bookkeeper accused of raping and murdering a barmaid in England has told a jury "over-eagerness" to satisfy his victim in bed caused her death.
Edward Tenniswood alleged he inadvertently throttled India Chipchase on the mattress of his upstairs bedroom in his squalid terraced house through "inexperience and incompetence".
Tenniswood told a Birmingham Crown Court jury that during "loving" sex: "I, in my over-eagerness to please her, either sustained the pressure just too long or just gripped too tightly."
He added: "Without the guidance of her hands - and I was eager to please - obviously I sustained the pressure too long and that obviously caused the death, in retrospect."
The 52-year-old then claimed he failed to notice her lifeless body despite re-fastening the 20-year-old's bra, and re-clothing her, while wearing surgical-type latex gloves, before leaving his victim alone.
Instead of raising the alarm, the court has already heard he went out to get a kebab and then spent the next 22 hours drinking lager in an Ibis hotel until police arrested him.
Tenniswood is said by the Crown to have "raped and throttled" the young woman after chancing upon her outside Northampton's NB's nightclub in the early hours of January 30, and taking her in a cab back to his house.
On the eighth day of his trial, Tenniswood also alleged he once dated a famous cover girl fashion model, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when asked about why he kept newspaper clippings of "pretty girls" in his rented home.
Telling jurors he dated the woman between the "late 80s, bordering into the 90s" he added: "I've got photos with her lipstick on for goodness' sake, I wouldn't make something like that up."
Asked about four photographic clippings, including one of all-female pop group Little Mix, he kept as "ornaments" in his kitchen area, he replied: "They remind me of ex girlfriends."
He said: "I've had a hugely unsuccessful life but have been very lucky and had some very attractive ex girlfriends."
Jurors also saw dramatic body-camera footage of the moment police broke down Tenniswood's door at around 3.40pm on Sunday January 31, and found Ms Chipchase lying dead on an upstairs mattress and covered with a sheet.
Tenniswood claimed he put the duvet sheet across her body so she did not "have cold shoulders".
Earlier, Tenniswood detailed to the court what were very likely Ms Chipchase's final moments, while the two were upstairs engaged in what he has alleged was consensual and "vigorous love-making".
He said: "Her eyes were closed, tragically.
"Had they not been, that would have helped me gauge the situation.
"No disrespect to her, I was unguided and inexpert at what I considered a mildly kinky sexual practice.
"Through sheer inexperience or incompetence I kept the pressure on too long or too firmly."
Tenniswood denied raping the young woman and, describing himself as a "sexually conservative person", alleged that Ms Chipchase had been "masochistic".
However, the jury has already heard testimony about an incident in Tenniswood's past where he allegedly put his hands around the throat of a teenage girl and tried to kiss her up a wall.
His neighbour also stated that Tenniswood once appeared drunk on his doorstep and, placing his hands around the man's throat, said he was "trained to kill" with his bare hands.
The Crown's QC Christopher Donnellan then put the allegation that Tenniswood had raped Ms Chipchase, and that she had desperately struggled to fend him off, leaving scratch marks on her alleged attacker's arm, neck and shoulder.
The barrister said: "You have developed a fantasy account of the interaction you described having with India in your house after you got there shortly after 1.40am.
"The truth of what happened is that you started to rape her and she tried to fight you off.
"She scratched your neck, made you angry and you grabbed her around the throat.
"As she fought, you squeezed harder.
"You wanted to hurt her because you were angry.
"You wanted to hurt her seriously because she wasn't willingly giving you what you wanted.
"And you, with your bare hands around her neck, squeezed and held until she stopped breathing.
"You knew you were killing her when you did that, didn't you? That is what you intended?
Tenniswood replied: "Not true."
He denies the charges and the trial continues.
