Man who strangled partner to death had previously tried to choke her, court hears

Man who strangled partner to death had previously tried to choke her, court hears Oliver Pritchard-Jones | Freelance news reporter Published October 24, 2026 6:56pm Updated October 24, 2026 6:56pm Stephen Sexton allegedly tried to choke his partner before she managed to release him (Picture: Enterprise News and Pictures) A welder accused of strangling his girlfriend to death had previously tried to choke her, a court has heard. Stephen Sexton, 39, is on trial for the rape, coercive control and murder of Joanna Derkacz. Sexton, of Totton, Southampton, denies the charges. The 37-year-old recruitment consultant was found dead at their home in Waterlooville, Hampshire, by her sister Arleta Derkacz on the morning of December 28, 2023, Winchester Crown Court heard. Arleta had travelled to the property after not being able to speak to her sister. In a pre-recorded police interview played to the jury, she said Joanna had revealed that Sexton had been aggressive to her before and had attempted to choke her on one occasion. ‘She did say he was trying to choke her, but she was trying to go away. She managed to release him with her hands,’ she explained. Joanna Derkacz’s sister told the court that Stephen Sexton was ‘aggressive very often’ in the year before she was murdered (Picture: Hampshire Constabulary/Press Association) ‘I know he was aggressive very often, especially in the last year.’ Arleta also described arriving at the property, as well as the moment she found her sister, with her head in a ‘peculiar position’, in her bedroom. ‘The atmosphere was like creepy inside. Stephen looked really scared,’ she said. ‘He came downstairs, and I asked him, “Where is my sister?” and he said, “She’s not here.” ‘I could see he was lying and was shaking; his eyes were all over the place. I said, “Stephen, I know you are lying; where is my sister?”‘ She said that he continued to say that Joanna was out with friends, at which point Arleta said, ‘I am going upstairs.’ Joanna had tried to end her relationship with Sexton, 39 (Picture: Enterprise News and Pictures) ‘He said, “No, you won’t.” At that moment, I swear to God, I heard a voice from upstairs. It’s really hard to describe,’ she said. ‘I pushed him away, and I ran upstairs.’ She described calling out ‘Joanna, Joanna’ before finding her sister dead. Arleta said she then ran downstairs and saw Sexton in the kitchen holding a knife. ‘I was worried he would point the knife at me; he then looked into my eyes and pointed the knife into his hands,’ she explained. ‘I ran out and just started shouting like an animal, “He killed my sister.” Sexton is on trial for the rape, coercive control and murder, which he denies (Picture: Enterprise News and Pictures) ‘The neighbours came out, and I do not remember. I was crying (and) shouting.’ Describing Sexton’s demeanour, she added: ‘He looked like he had shivers all over the body, I don’t know if it was because he was scared. ‘Normally he sounds very loud, confident. This time he had a very fragile, soft (and) not very loud (voice).’ The court previously heard that Joanna died of compression to the neck and was thought to have been killed between 12.20am and 12.46am the same morning. Nicola Shannon KC, prosecuting, previously told the jury that in the hours after Joanna died, Sexton visited two sex workers. She also told the court that when Joanna spoke to police officers during a welfare visit earlier that month, she said Sexton had never strangled her. The trial continues. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.