Josh Baxter, 28, is accused of killing Michael Barron, 38, after the pair met on the dating app on January 26 last year
A man on trial for manslaughter, accused of killing his Grindr date, allegedly told police he fell asleep atop him for half an hour post-coitus, the jury has heard.
Josh Baxter, 28, and Michael Barron, 38, connected on the app on 26 January last year, as previously disclosed to jurors. Minshull Street Crown Court heard that after swapping details, the duo arranged a rendezvous at Mr Baxter’s Blackley flat for a sexual encounter.
Prosecutors claim Mr Baxter coaxed Mr Barron into consuming so much alcohol that he passed out. The court was informed that Mr Baxter allegedly restrained Mr Barron face-down on his bed and laid on top of him for an ‘extended period’.
The jury was told that Mr Baxter strangled and choked Mr Barron with such intensity that he fractured a bone and cartilage. Mr Barron suffered cerebral hypoxia, a condition caused by insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, leading to cardiac arrest, according to information provided to the jurors.
Paramedics pronounced Mr Barron dead upon arrival. It was reported to the jurors that Mr Baxter ordered a takeaway via Deliveroo and messaged other men on Grindr, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The court was told he Googled: “If you accidentally kill someone by strangling them in sex do you go to prison.”
Mr Baxter, from Blackley, denies charges of manslaughter; intentional strangulation or suffocation; and unlawfully causing grievous bodily harm. His trial resumed on Wednesday (7 January).
The jury heard testimony from Detective Constable Jasmine Kennedy, who took a statement from Mr Baxter shortly after the incident. In the statement, read out to the jury, Mr Baxter revealed that he started chatting with Mr Barron on a dating app before they delved into their sexual interests.
They planned for Mr Barron to visit Mr Baxter’s flat, according to DC Kennedy, referencing the statement. On his way, Mr Barron picked up a 70cl bottle of vodka, while Mr Baxter arranged an Uber for him, the officer further noted.
They engaged in conversation and drank, DC Kennedy stated. She informed the jurors that, according to the statement, Mr Barron consumed nearly the entire bottle of vodka, along with a bottle of wine.
Mr Baxter’s statement further detailed that they went to the shop to buy more alcohol before returning to the flat. Upon their return, he said Mr Barron polished off the bottle and had two vodka and lemonade drinks.
The jury heard that they then proceeded to his bedroom, where they ‘got naked’ and initiated sex.
Anne Whyte KC, prosecuting, quoted from Mr Baxter’s statement: “I then tied him up with red rope against both his ankles and wrists. I knotted the rope not very tightly. Whilst in that position I had sex with him, I slapped him on the back, which was pre-agreed. He was lay face down, I realised he had fallen asleep as he was making snoring noises. I ended up falling asleep whilst I was on top of him and I woke up 30 minutes later.”
After picking up his takeaway, Mr Baxter noticed that Mr Barron had ceased snoring. He couldn’t detect any breath from his mouth and observed a purplish hue to his face.
The court heard how he dialled 999 and was guided to perform CPR.
The jury was presented with testimonies from two paramedics and an advanced paramedic who discovered Mr Barron on the floor of Mr Baxter’s bedroom. “I was quite clear, quite quickly, that he had died,” stated medic Lindsey Joyce.
Forensic pathologist Dr Jamie Robinson, who conducted the post-mortem, informed the jurors about a curved abrasion found on the side of Mr Barron’s neck, possibly caused by a fingernail. He further explained that the hyoid bone at the top of the neck and the thyroid cartilage forming the Adam’s Apple were both fractured.
Referring to a toxicology report, Dr Robinson revealed that Mr Barron’s blood contained 417mg of alcohol per 100ml. “The legal limit for driving in this country is 80mg, so this is significantly high, over five times higher,” Dr Robinson pointed out.
“Fatal alcohol toxicity is at 350mg per 100ml of blood, but it depends on a person’s tolerance to alcohol.”
He suggested that Mr Barron’s death was likely multifactorial, considering factors such as the excessive alcohol consumption; his prone position lying on his back and restrained; the pressure applied to his torso with Mr Baxter atop him for some time; and the compression to his neck.
Consultant neuropathologist, Dr Daniel Du Plessis, informed the court that after conducting tests on Mr Barron’s brain, he discovered damage indicative of oxygen deprivation. Mr Baxter, residing at Lakeside Rise, Blackley, pleads not guilty to manslaughter.
