Warning: This article contains details that may disturb some readers.
A British model who died by suicide after choking his girlfriend to death in a "sex game gone wrong" has been described by friends as a "lad's lad" during an inquest.
The revelations were made in a series of statements read out at the inquest of plasterer Luke Cannon, 31, at Bradford Coroner's Court in the UK on Thursday (local time), the Daily Mail reports.
Georgia May Brooke, 26, went into cardiac arrest after Cannon choked her during rough sex, the court heard. Despite efforts from paramedics, Brooke was pronounced dead at 12:34am on February 3, 2022 - five minutes after arriving at Bradford Royal Infirmary, a hospital in the West Yorkshire city.
It was later found that Cannon had cocaine, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and Viagra in his system on the night of Brooke's death.
The court heard on Thursday that shortly after midnight, Cannon had phoned his landlord to tell him what had happened, who advised him to call an ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, Brooke was found naked and without a pulse on his bed. The medical staff noticed restraints tied to the top and bottom of the bed frame.
During the inquest, friends of Cannon told the court the 31-year-old was a "lad's lad" who loved to party and take cocaine. He had been referred to a drug rehabilitation service as far back as 2017, when he was arrested and was found to have cocaine in his possession. He also went to his GP in 2018 with concerns about his steroid use, according to local media.
At Brooke's inquest hearing on Wednesday, the court heard how her mother, Samantha Beaumont, did not like their relationship and considered Cannon to be controlling. A friend of Brooke's said in a statement the 26-year-old would lie to her mother when she was with Cannon, instead telling her she was with friends.
But at Cannon's hearing, his mother, Jane, and brother argued he was a kind and considerate man who considered Brooke his soulmate.
Jane Cannon told the court how she had missed a call from her son that night because her phone had been switched to silent.
"I never got a chance to speak to him or help him. I miss him so much, I can hardly bear the loss," she said, as reported by the Daily Mail.
"Georgia's final months were not spent with someone coercive and controlling, but someone special who cared about her, that [was] so devastated and deeply sorry for what happened," added his brother, Joshua.
It was said Cannon had tried to call Brooke's mother from the hospital but couldn't get through; he then called a friend and told them to tell Beaumont that, "I'm going to be with her."
Det Sgt Phil Hardwick of West Yorkshire Police, the detective who investigated both Brooke and Cannon's deaths, told the court how the hospital's CCTV footage indicated that Cannon was "extremely remorseful and beside himself".
"He could be seen on CCTV at BRI crying and pacing. He was obviously distressed, like he didn't know what to do with himself," Hardwick told the court.
Cannon had already left the hospital when the police arrived, intending to arrest him on suspicion of murder due to the concerns of medical staff.
His body was found by a local resident nearby at 9:20am. Coroner Martin Fleming later determined Cannon had died by suicide.
"His mum said that Luke was a much-loved son and brother, he was described by his mother as being a wonderful man who lit up a room," Fleming said.
"To lose a son in these circumstances must be so hard to bear and to reconcile with."
Cannon's family refused to comment after the hearing, the Daily Mail reported.
Last month it was revealed in a survey by Dr Debby Herbenick - regarded as one of the foremost researchers on American sexual behaviour - that there is a disturbing rise in the numbers of teenage boys demanding rough sex.
The recent survey questioned 5000 women anonymously at a major university in the US, the New York Times reported. Almost two-thirds of women who responded said they had been choked by a partner during sex, with 40 percent saying they were aged between 12 and 17 the first time it happened.
Where to find help and support:
- www.areyouok.org.nz - information and 24/7 family violence support. Call 0800 456 450
- www.inyourhands.org.nz - for people using violence who want to change. Call 0800 456 450
- www.safetotalk.nz - 0800 044 334 sexual violence helpline
- Elder abuse support - 0800 EA NOT OK (0800 32 668 65), text 5032, support@elderabuse.nz
- Shine (domestic violence) - 0508 744 633
- Women's Refuge - 0800 733 843 (0800 REFUGE)
- Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
- What's Up - 0800 WHATS UP (0800 942 8787)
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
- Shakti Community Council - 0800 742 584.
