Woman ‘killed and chopped up after being lured to flat above kebab shop by stranger’
A WOMAN was allegedly murdered and chopped up in a flat above a kebab shop after being lured there by a stranger late at night, a court has heard. Azam Mangori, 24, “honed in” on Lorraine Cox, 32, while she walked home after drinking with pals in Exeter, Devon, it is alleged. Jurors at Exeter […]
A WOMAN was allegedly murdered and chopped up in a flat above a kebab shop after being lured there by a stranger late at night, a court has heard.
Azam Mangori, 24, “honed in” on Lorraine Cox, 32, while she walked home after drinking with pals in Exeter, Devon, it is alleged.
Jurors at Exeter Crown Court heard how Mangori had sex with Lorraine in an alleyway before taking her to his room in a flat above a kebab shop.
It is alleged he then killed her and cut up her body into seven pieces and then kept her remains in his apartment for several days.
Mangori, an Iraqi Kurd, admits cutting off Lorraine’s arms and legs and disposing of her body parts. But he denies murder.
Jurors heard Lorriane had been drinking with friends on Bank Holiday Monday in August last year.
She had set off to walk home alone at around 1.30am and had bumped into Mangori, who was out walking the streets.
‘MURDERED AND MUTILATED’
Lorraine, who was in a relationship with another woman, was later reported missing by her worried dad.
Mangori allegedly took her sim card and pretended to be her, in an attempt to convince others she was still alive, the court heard.
He is also accused of disposing her clothing and possessions.
Prosecutor Simon Laws QC said: “Her whereabouts were a mystery to her family and friends for another week.
“No one knew where she was. The answer was that she had been killed by this defendant.
“He was out walking the streets alone. He went up to her, they had never met one another before.
“He took advantage of her drunken state and had a sexual encounter with her in an alleyway off Sidwell Street.
“He then led her back to his room above a kebab shop in the city centre and he killed her there.
“He cut her body up into seven pieces and disposed of them. He mutilated the body in other ways.”
He was out walking the streets alone
Simon Laws QC
Exeter Crown Court heard Mangori did not work in the kebab shop and “kept himself to himself”.
Mr Laws QC added: “He did not have a job in the kebab shop.
“He simply used that accommodation to sleep in.”
Jurors heard body parts were found in bags in and around bins outside the kebab shop.
However, it is also alleged that Mangori kept Lorraine’s body in his bedroom for several days and did not dispose of the final body parts until a week later on September 8.
Other body parts were later found in woodland at Newton St Cyres, a village outside Exeter.
The court heard Mangori was caught on CCTV going to the shops to buy the tools he needed to allegedly dismember and dispose of the body.
He was also caught on camera meeting Lorraine as she walked home from her night out.
Mr Laws QC said: “He has admitted that it was him who cut up and hid and otherwise disposed of her body preventing her burial.”
Mangori, who had only been in Exeter for around six weeks before the alleged murder, was arrested after Lorraine had been missing for eight days.
He remained silent over days of police interviews.
Mr Laws QC added: “At that stage the police did not know for sure whether Lorraine was alive or not.
“She had been reported as missing by her father.
“When the police first spoke to the defendant he tried to lie his way out of what he had done.
“He pretended that he had not brought Lorraine back to his room at all.”
Jurors heard cops discovered images on Mangori’s phone showing the “structure of the leg and amputation.”
He had viewed some of the material in the days before he met Lorraine.
Other images were seen at the time “when her body was in his room”, prosecutors say.
Once he saw Lorraine Cox on her own he honed in on her
Simon Laws QC
Exeter Crown Court heard how Mangori had contacted both male and female escorts earlier that evening before bumping into his alleged victim.
Mr Laws QC said: “Mangori was contacting escorts, a male one first and a female one.
“He did not manage to meet with one for whatever reason. He decided to go out onto the streets to see what he could find.
“He was not looking to meet a friend. He was not stretching his legs, he was purposeful.
Most read in News
“Once he saw Lorraine Cox on her own he honed in on her and in short that was how their paths crossed that night.
“There is no evidence that the two of them had ever met before that night.”
Mr Laws QC added Lorraine Cox “predominantly preferred women” but occasionally had sexual relations with men.
Mangori used the fake name Christopher Mayer when he came to Britain, but a passport seized by police revealed his real name and age.
He admits unlawful burial but denies murder.
The trial continues.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.