A man has gone on trial accused of murdering a woman he met in a pub in Pontypridd, south Wales, before dismembering her body. Christopher May, 50, is alleged to have strangled Tracey Woodford, 47, in a sexually motivated attack on 21 April.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Woodford met May at the Skinny Dog pub in Pontypridd and left with him after closing time. When she failed to return home, her family contacted police, who discovered human body parts in May's bathroom.
Prosecutor Roger Thomas said the defendant admitted causing her death but disputed that it amounted to murder. He described the attack as 'brutal, vicious and sexually motivated', adding that Woodford was mutilated and dismembered deliberately to conceal the crime.
The court heard that Woodford, who lived with her mother and brother in Rhydyfelin, had been drinking on the afternoon of 21 April. She was refused alcohol in two bars after appearing unsteady, but later struck up a conversation with May at the Skinny Dog.
CCTV footage showed Woodford walking with May before midnight, wearing his coat. When police arrived at May's flat, he initially claimed she had told him to 'piss off' after he tried to 'cop a feel' under a railway bridge. However, officers noted signs of unease and discovered the body parts behind a shower curtain.
The trial continues.
