2013: Kidderminster thief who strangled elderly lover who passed out jailed

2013: KIDDERMINSTER THIEF WHO STRANGLED ELDERLY LOVER WHO PASSED OUT JAILED

A thief who strangled his elderly lover until he passed out so he could steal money from his pension has been jailed for five years.

Christopher Morris, 28, of Kidderminster, was found guilty of robbery by a unanimous jury at Worcester Crown Court today.

The court was told that Morris and the 70-year-old man had occasionally slept together, but on September 8 last year Morris appeared unannounced at the man's Kidderminster home.

They had sex, and afterwards Morris took £15 from a bureau, strangling the older man until he became unconscious when he protested.

Judge Michael Cullum noted that while the amount was small, it was significant to the victim as part of his pension, and that Morris's actions forced the man to reveal his sexuality to his family.

The judge described Morris's attack as callous, checking if his victim was still breathing and then drinking his money away.

Morris, from Dunlin Drive, Kidderminster, was sentenced to five years in prison.

The court previously heard that the two men had met while cycling along the canal towpath with a mutual acquaintance five years earlier.

They had an occasional physical relationship, but the 70-year-old had asked Morris not to visit again.

The attack was described as only reluctantly allowed.

Defence lawyer Sally Cairns stated that Morris was undergoing treatment for mental health issues at Kidderminster Hospital, prescribed anti-psychotics and antidepressants.

She argued that the robbery was unplanned, Morris had no weapon, and was suffering from depression, even contemplating suicide.