A “jealous” husband allegedly strangled his estranged wife after she turned down his offer to spend one last night together.
Martin Cavanagh, 35, was “controlling and possessive” towards Sophie Cavanagh, 31, the Old Bailey heard.
Jurors were told he sabotaged her Match.com dating profile and scared away any new men. Days before she was found dead, Cavanagh allegedly offered Sophie £100 if she would sleep with him again. She rebuffed him and later told a friend the proposal was “disgusting”.
Cavanagh is accused of murdering Sophie at his flat in Bromley on May 19 this year after a day out at the zoo.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy QC told the court: “The defendant had a controlling, jealous and possessive nature [and] a short fuse.” Jurors heard that the couple married in 2011 and separated after five years, but continued to see each other regularly. Ms Healy told the court: “If Sophie attempted to start a relationship with another man, those relationships would not last long. The defendant would contact the people she was dating.”
During an alleged incident in July last year, Ms Healy said Cavanagh spent hours driving around south London looking for Sophie when he suspected she was on a date. In a video message sent to a friend, he branded her a “spiteful, conniving, evil, nasty piece of work” before pretending to harm himself.
The court heard Cavanagh drunkenly messaged Sophie on May 15 saying he had £100 in cash, adding: “U have broken, shattered... ripped me to shreds. I want to have u 1 last final time ok... it’s all I fink about. I’m begging you. I won’t see it as paying to sleep wiv u but at least that way u get something out of it.”
Jurors heard he also accused Sophie of stripping online for strangers in return for money. After his advances were rejected, Ms Healy said Cavanagh repeatedly asked if he could visit her at home in Croydon. The court heard Sophie was strangled four days later, following a day out at Wingham wildlife park in Kent. Her body was found the next day.
The prosecutor added: “Whatever led to the defendant strangling Sophie, his jealous obsession with finding out who she was in contact with played a part.”
Cavanagh, from Bromley, denies murder. The trial continues.
