Man, 52, denies murdering 26-year-old Ashton woman

A trial into the death of Elizabeth McCann in Ashton last summer opened today at Manchester Crown Court.

Simon Goold, 52, of Manchester Road, Ashton, denies murdering the 26-year-old, last August.  

Appearing before the court he entered not guilty pleas to rape, murder, sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration. He has however pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter. 

The jury heard that on August 25 last year, Elizabeth was found dead at a property on Manchester Road in Ashton, having suffered prolonged strangulation as her cause of death. 

Goold and the victim knew one another through a health and wellbeing college at which they were both students, the court heard.

The pair are believed to have attended a number of the same courses here but shared 'no extensive communication' and were described as 'acquaintances more than friends'.  

Outlining the case of the prosecution, Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC said that Goold had noticed Elizabeth being upset at a coffee morning in college and subsequently reached out to her via Facebook on August 24 last year. Following this communication, the pair had arranged to meet at the Star Inn in Ashton that same afternoon.  

They both spent the afternoon there before ordering a taxi back to his residence, where CCTV shows them arriving around 5.04pm.  

The taxi driver has indicated that a sexual assault occurred on the journey between the pub and Goold's home address, stated the prosecution. 

In a version of events read by prosecutors, Elizabeth was described as 'totally out of it' while the defendant acted 'very rough' with her and proceeded to make intimate advances towards her. Goold denies the allegations, saying he met with her in the pub and shared a taxi with her, but did not sexually assault her at any point.  

The court was told multiple explicit photos and videos of Elizabeth were found on the defendant's phone. The prosecution said Goold made a deliberate attempt in one of the videos to ask her whether she consented to what was happening, to which she replied 'at first yes' but makes it clear she is beginning to feel uncomfortable.  

Goold stated that all contact between the pair that night was consensual. He said when they arrived back at his flat, they began to engage in sexual activity and, with her agreement, he tied her T-shirt around her neck. He claims that this was a form of 'erotic asphyxiation’, and he believes that they were both consenting and that she was enjoying it.  

He stated that once this was over, he moved to the sofa to sleep there and left her on the bed, which is where he found her dead when he awoke the following morning.    

The prosecution also mentioned that during Police questioning, when Goold was asked about how tight the T-shirt had been tied, he replied: "I had no intention of hurting her whatsoever. It's not tight like you think."  

When asked to rate it on a tightness scale of one to ten, he stated that it was 'four or five' in his opinion.  

On Thursday, August 25, Goold walked into Ashton Police Station declaring he wanted to report a crime and there was a dead woman in his residence. He said he partially dressed Elizabeth 'for her dignity' when paramedics and police arrived.

The jury heard that a post-mortem examination had identified 46 separate external injuries, including bruising and grazing to the face as well as behind the ears. Both sides of the neck showed clear ligature marks up to 14cm long, which the prosecution stated are typical of strangulation. She had suffered sexual injuries that would have caused significant bleeding.  

The prosecution earlier told the court the T-shirt would have needed to be pulled 'very tight for a considerable period of time' and he claimed that it is believed 'the defendant gained a sexual thrill from causing such pain'.   

Proceeding