A FORMER Ryedale man “throttled” a woman to death, covered her head in cling film and plastic bags and put her under his bed, a court heard.

Aaron O’Brien, 22, is charged with the murder of Magdalena Januszeska, whose body was found at a house Copenhagen Way, Norwich, on January 25. O’Brien, of the same property, denies murder.

Christopher Morgan, prosecuting, told Norwich Crown Court O’Brien killed the 34-year-old Polish national on Sunday, January 23.

The court heard the cause of death had been compression of the neck, and that Miss Januszeska, with whom O’Brien was in a relationship, also sustained cuts and bruises to her face, chin and mouth as well as three fractures to her jaw, a fractured tooth and cuts and bruising to her mouth.

Mr Morgan said: “The defendant, having killed her, then wrapped her head with cling film, two Tesco bags and then put her hood from her top up over her face and, using the draw strings, tied it around her neck and placed her under his bed.”

He said O’Brien, who is originally from Yorkshire, then went into the victim’s room, locked the door and took the keys to her Ford Puma car before he fled to Malton.

Miss Januszeska’s body was discovered after O’Brien’s father expressed concern to police that his son had not been answering his mobile phone and had not turned up for work.

An officer was sent to the property and discovered the body.

O’Brien was arrested in Malton the following day on suspicion of murder. He is understood to be originally from the Malton area.

Mr Morgan said: “He admitted he had killed Magda. He admitted he had done so by putting his forearm or forearms around the front and back of her neck and squeezing very hard.

“He said he had done it to restrain her when she had shouted at him, they had fallen on to his bed and eventually he realised she was no longer moving.”

O’Brien, a manual labourer who is first-aid trained, checked her pulse but realised she had died.

Mr Morgan said O’Brien had squeezed her neck for between three and four minutes and said O’Brien had told police that “in frustration with himself” that he had killed Miss Januszeska.

The jury was told that in interview O’Brien said he did not intend to kill Miss Januszeska but Mr Morgan told them that this was not a case of manslaughter, but of murder.

The trial continues.