Sister recounts earlier choking allegation in Stephen Sexton murder trial

Joanna Derkacz’s sister told Winchester Crown Court that Joanna described being choked by her boyfriend, Stephen Sexton, until she could hardly breathe, months before her death. Sexton is charged with murdering and raping Derkacz and coercively controlling her; the evidence matters because it describes earlier alleged violence and the circumstances surrounding the couple’s relationship.

Arleta Derkacz said Joanna told her about the choking around Christmas 2023 and that she had pushed Sexton away to stop him hurting her. She offered her sister money to leave their shared home, but Joanna declined, and Arleta said she now regrets trusting her to handle the situation alone. Prosecutors allege Sexton strangled Derkacz, 37, at their Waterlooville home on 28 December 2023, shortly after she decided to end the relationship; the trial is continuing.