Cambridge murder trial: Man 'obviously mentally unwell' on day of killing

Katy Sprague was declared dead at the scene in Coleridge Road, Cambridge, on 27 November 2019

A man was "obviously mentally unwell" on the day he strangled a fellow supported living resident to death, his defence barrister told a jury.

Zac Jackson killed Katy Sprague, 51, in the common room of the flats they shared on Coleridge Road, Cambridge, on 27 November 2019, jurors heard.

Robert O'Sullivan QC told a court that one witness described Mr Jackson that day as "the worst I've seen him".

Mr Jackson, 38, has admitted manslaughter, but denies murder.

Cambridge Crown Court has heard Ms Sprague and Mr Jackson lived at Denham Place, which provides accommodation for people with mental health issues judged to require some level of support.

The court has heard that on 27 November another resident, David Barron, walked into the common room and saw the defendant in the act of strangling Ms Sprague.

Mr Barron saw Ms Sprague "on her knees on the floor" and told Mr Jackson to stop, but was threatened, jurors heard.

Prosecutors allege it was a "sustained" attack on Ms Sprague

Mr Jackson later repeated to a number of people, including a 999 call handler, "I've killed Katy".

In his closing remarks to the jury, Mr O'Sullivan said that earlier that day, Mr Jackson said he had wanted to be sectioned.

He said Mr Jackson had also placed his hands around the neck of a health worker.

The court has heard Mr Jackson told her: "I'm going to murder you and I'm going to murder Katy".

That worker then contacted a crisis team, but nobody was available to assess him until the following day.

Mr O'Sullivan said: "In broad terms, the mental health workers seeing him that day were describing him as obviously mentally unwell."

He said Mr Jackson, who has no previous convictions, had been diagnosed by defence psychiatrists as having complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said his client's childhood was the "foundation" of this.

In his closing speech, prosecutor Stuart Trimmer QC said: "The Crown say his ability to know what he was doing [on the day of the killing], understand what he was doing, was plain."

He concluded: "The Crown say this is murder, no less."

The trial continues.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [e-mail]