A person charged with the homicide of Lorraine Cox in Exeter informed a jury he had no recollection of dismembering her physique – as an alternative pondering he was ‘separating the tobacco’.

Azam Mangori, 24, additionally denied having a “ sexual curiosity ” in individuals who have misplaced limbs throughout cross-examination.

The accused grew to become distressed and emotional when requested concerning the ‘disarticulation’ and mutilation of the physique of 32-year-old Miss Cox.

Mangori, also called Christopher Mayer, is on trial at Exeter Crown Court docket the place he denies a homicide cost.

He admits to having prevented the authorized burial of Miss Cox’s physique in September 2020.

Mangori informed the jury that on the time he did not imagine he was chopping up a physique, however “ moist tobacco ” that he saved in his room as a part of his job.

Questioned by prosecutor Simon Legal guidelines QC on the dismemberment of Miss Cox and the deposit of her stays, Mangori declared on a number of events in court docket Thursday, March 25: “There was no physique. It was tobacco.

Mr Legal guidelines stated Miss Cox’s physique had been “neatly and neatly dislocated” with knives and requested the accused: “How did you know the way to do that?”

“I did not, there was no physique in entrance of me,” stated Mangori, who insisted his psychological state meant he thought he was “separating the tobacco”.

The prosecutor added that “in the actual world” the character of the dismemberment meant that the accused “should have thought rigorously about the right way to do it”.

Mangori denied this, however admitted he lower Miss Cox’s physique and triggered her additional accidents after her loss of life.

Pressed to know why Miss Cox’s physique had additionally been mutilated and a tattoo indicating she was diabetic faraway from her arm, Mangori stated: “There was no physique. Sure, I did that, however I did not see it. It was simply tobacco like I stated.

Mr Legal guidelines added: “Is the reality about this that you just simply do not wish to reply questions on it?” Not as a result of there was no physique, however since you did horrible issues?

Mangori replied, “It was horrible, however I did not see it. It was horrible. I used to be simply coping with tobacco.

“There was a Mr. Mangori physique, and it was Lorraine Cox’s physique,” Mr. Legal guidelines stated.

“I do not wish to give it some thought,” replied the accused.

“Since you did one thing utterly shameful and you do not wish to admit it,” the prosecutor stated.

“The rationale for doing this [removing the tattoo]Did you suppose that was a approach of hiding his identification. What different cause may there be?

“I do not know,” Mangori stated. “As a result of your thoughts is so soiled?” Is that this the way you suppose on a regular basis? How do you reside? “

“You took care to wrap these components of the physique,” Mr. Legal guidelines stated.

“Every bit was positioned in a lot of baggage tied with knots.

“You took plenty of care to wrap them this manner in order that the odor was contained.

“You’re the one coping with components of the human physique that has nothing to do with tobacco, is it?”

“It was tobacco,” replied the defendant.

Mangori was requested about movies and photos uploaded to his cellphone or doubtlessly seen on his cellphone that the prosecution says present an curiosity in amputations.

They included a video of a legless younger woman dancing, which was uploaded hours after Mangori took a cab to cover physique components within the woods at Tinpit Hill on September 8.

One other, uploaded Aug. 28, confirmed a person with two prosthetic legs beginning a struggle.

Mangori stated the subject was “ a coincidence ” and the clips had been amongst hundreds of movies on her cellular.

The accused stated there was ‘no proof’ he noticed photos discovered cached on his cellphone – considered one of a decrease leg and one other of a kid with an amputation above the knee.

He denied ever seeing the footage and described the disputed proof as “a laughing inventory.”

“It is one thing that pursuits you numerous, is not it Mr. Mangori,” the prosecutor stated.

“You might be very excited by individuals who have misplaced limbs. It is a sexual curiosity. You amputated the limbs of considered one of your sexual companions, proper?

“That is completely not true,” Mangori stated.

Mangori informed the court docket: “She simply died.

“It is an offense that by no means existed – no one did something to him in any respect.

He stated that by the point of his arrest he forgot that Miss Cox had already been in her room.

The defendant added that it was solely when physique components had been talked about in an interview with the police that he realized that “ one thing was flawed ”.

“Mr. Mangori, you killed Lorraine Cox, did not you,” Mr. Legal guidelines stated.

“Every little thing you probably did within the subsequent eight days was to be sure to by no means received caught for this homicide.

“You had been hiding all the things the most effective you possibly can, which could get you found.”

“Completely not,” Mangori stated. “It is not appropriate, all the things was there. I wasn’t hiding something in any respect.

He added: “There was no crime.”

The court docket had beforehand heard that Mangori had visited a web site on ‘the right way to dig a grave by hand’ after Miss Cox’s loss of life.

“Why had been you digging up graves if you had been solely chopping tobacco?” requested Mr. Legal guidelines.

“I wasn’t on the lookout for a grave. I used to be on the lookout for digging instruments, ”Mangori stated.

He stated he took a few of Miss Cox’s stays and buried them within the woods at Tinpit Hill, however believed on the time that he was hiding moist tobacco from his boss.

Mangori agreed that he packed Miss Cox’s issues – together with her garments and her diabetes equipment – in his backpack earlier than placing it in a trash bag and leaving it within the alley.

He additionally admits to chopping Miss Cox’s debit card and driver’s license – each discovered together with his pockets in his residence’s kitchen trash can.

Mangori stated he threw out the “ foremost components ” of every, bearing his identify, individually.

When requested why he had completed this, the accused replied, “So that they weren’t usable.”

“It is a part of you overlaying up what you’ve got been doing, is not it?” You had been eager about it, proper? Requested the prosecutor.

“No,” Mangori replied.

Mr Legal guidelines added, “Did you suppose you had been chopping the tobacco if you lower off his driver’s license and his debit card?”

“You knew completely effectively that you just had been coping with two small items of plastic which represented a hazard for you.”

“No,” Mangori stated, “they had been within the trash. If I wished to, I’d throw it proper outdoors.

Mangori denies killing Miss Cox in her room above a kebab store in downtown Exeter within the early hours of September 1, 2020.

The trial continues …