A British man has been sentenced to 6 years in prison after his partner died during sexual intercourse.

52-year-old Warren Coulton was found guilty of manslaughter through gross negligence after his partner 38-year-old Claire Wright died during consensual sexual intercourserse involving bondage.

The court heard that the bizarre incident happened when Coulton and Wright were staying at a holiday lodge in July 2018.

While at Herons Lake Retreat, things went wrong when Coulton who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol fell asleep during intercourse after he had bound and gagged his partner. Wright was unable to free herself and ended up suffocating on a sock that Coulton, had placed in her mouth and tapped as a gag.

When Coulton finally woke up from his deep slumber, he discovered that his partner of five-and-a-half years had died during the night. He did not notify the authorities and instead covered Wright’s naked body with a duvet before driving off. The body was later discovered by a member of the lodge staff.

During the trial, the prosecution charged that Coulton owed Ms Wright a duty of care and had “exposed her to an obvious and serious risk of death and asphyxiation”.

In his defence, Coulton claimed that his lover’s hands were tied loosely behind her back. He also denied that he had taped a pink sock in her mouth.

The jury appears not to have been convinced by the defence’s argument that this was a tragic accident. The jury took just two hours to find Coulton guilty of the charges he was facing.

During sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice Picken cited Coulton’s previous conviction for causing death by reckless driving. He said that this incident should have served as a strong warning to Coulton about the perils of drinking too much.

He also said that Coulton was well aware that drinking too much would cause him to become drowsy and to fall asleep, yet he chose to ignore this warning.

“It was your choice to drink to excess and take drugs. You did not have to do these things [but they have had] disastrous consequences.”

Mr Picken also said that Ms Wright’s family had been devastated by her death. Ms Wright’s 15-year-old daughter told the court: “My childhood has been ruined forever”.

The judge sentenced Coulton to 6 years in jail for manslaughter through gross negligence, following the fatal night of passion.