Sophie Moss death: Killer's estranged wife backs longer sentence

Sam Pybus claimed Sophie Moss had encouraged him to strangle her

The estranged wife of a man, who was jailed for choking a woman to death during sex, has backed calls for his sentence to be increased.

Sam Pybus, 32, was jailed for four years and eight months after admitting the manslaughter of Sophie Moss, 33, at her home in Darlington on 7 February.

His spouse, Louise Howitt, told the BBC more needed to be done to prevent sexual violence against women.

The Attorney General has described Pybus's sentence as unduly lenient.

Suella Braverman last week referred it to the Court of Appeal to decide whether it should be extended.

Teesside Crown Court was told Pybus, of Newton Aycliffe, had been drunk when he applied pressure to Ms Moss' neck.

Pybus drove to see Sophie Moss after his wife had gone to bed

He told police he and Ms Moss had been in a casual relationship for three years and that she encouraged him to strangle her during consensual sex.

Judge Paul Watson QC reduced the sentence from seven years after giving credit for his early guilty plea to manslaughter.

The Crown Prosecution Service said there had not been sufficient evidence to support a charge of murder as there was nothing to suggest Pybus intended to kill her or cause serious harm.

Pybus, pictured with his estranged wife Louise Howitt, has had his sentence referred to the Court of Appeal

Discussing his sentence, his estranged wife said: "I don't think it reflects the level of grief that he's rippled through the community - to Sophie's family, my family and even his own family.

"There's a massive issue at the moment where sexual violence is being completely normalised. I think it's become so normal that women don't even see it as assault anymore."

She described the so-called rough-sex defence used by Pybus as a "huge insult to women".

Ms Howitt said she had been unaware he had left their home on the night of Ms Moss' death as she had gone to bed at about 22:30 while he was playing on a games console.

MP Harriet Harman is among those to have called for Pybus to serve a longer sentence.

She said his "disgraceful mitigation" that Ms Moss, a mother of two young boys, encouraged strangulation during sex, made it sound as if it was "her fault".