Man Jailed For 4 Years After Fatally Strangling Vulnerable Lover During Consensual 'Rough' Sex

A man in England has been sentenced to four years in jail after he admitted to strangling his lover to death during consensual "rough" sex.

The 32-year-old man, identified as Sam Pybus, from Darlington, a city in England, admitted that he killed 33-year-old Sophie Moss by applying pressure to her neck while the duo engaged in a sex act. Although he admitted to the manslaughter charges, Pybus claimed he did not intend to hurt her, The Guardian reported.

Moss, a mother of two children, had physical and mental health issues and had a history of alcohol misuse. She was found unresponsive at her home on Feb. 7, 2021, and died at the hospital later.

Pybus was married and was seeing Moss for three years without his wife's knowledge. He told the investigators that he had sex with the woman after he drank 24 bottles of beer on the night of Feb. 6. He woke up later that night to find Moss unresponsive and could not remember what had happened, the court heard.

However, Pybus told the detectives that he must have strangled Moss because his hands were hurting and applying mild pressure to her neck was an act she encouraged during sex.

Pybus also admitted that instead of doing any first aid after finding her unresponsive, he went to his car and thought about what to do for 15 minutes before driving to a police station to report the incident.

Although Pybus was initially charged with murder, the charges were later reduced to manslaughter after the findings of a pathologist who determined that the strangulation was not prolonged or very forceful.

The court also heard that there was no sign of any other violence used or evidence of a fight, BBC reported.

Meanwhile, the sentencing has brought out widespread protest among campaigners who fight against "consensual" rough sex claims.

"It seems that strangling a woman to death is still viewed in law as an unfortunate accident, rather than terrible serious violence,” a spokeswoman from the campaign group "We Cant Consent To This," said.

"This sends a dreadful message to women - four years and eight months is an outrageous sentence," she added.