A teacher whose partner murdered her best friend has called for stricter regulation of the internet to prevent access to violent sexual content. Lisa Stephens, 37, spoke out after Graham Coutts was jailed for a minimum of 30 years for strangling Jane Longhurst and defiling her body.
Stephens, who gave birth to Coutts' twin sons while he was awaiting trial, said: 'If children are exposed to certain material it will affect them for the rest of their lives. Graham channelled his sexuality along the wrong route that is dangerous. Rape and necrophilia websites are easy to access.'
Coutts, a 35-year-old pub band guitarist, had an asphyxiation fetish and persuaded Stephens to experiment with it. She said: 'He would put his hands around my neck and squeeze. At no time did he cut off my breath. It didn't turn me on and I told him so.'
Stephens, an English literature graduate, met Coutts six years ago in Brighton. She described him as 'articulate, gently spoken and funny'. However, she later discovered images of asphyxial sex on his computer, which he admitted viewing.
Despite the horror, Stephens visits Coutts in prison and receives letters from him apologising for his actions. She said: 'Our relationship died on the same day as Jane. As soon as the police told me they had evidence linking Graham to the crime, I had no doubts that he had killed her.'
