JEALOUS boyfriend Elliot Turner strangled his teenage girlfriend in bed after accusing her of a string of affairs, a court was told.

The 20-year-old told friends “that bitch is going to get it tonight” and armed himself with a lump hammer on the night before 17-year-old Brockenhurst College student Emily Longley was found dead, Winchester Crown Court was told.

A jury heard Turner, who lived with his parents in Queenswood Avenue, Queens Park, Bournemouth, repeatedly threatened her life in the days before her death and asked a friend: “How shall I do it? How shall I kill Emily?

“Shall I strangle her?”

He said Turner then practised strangulation techniques on his friend until he could not breathe.

Turner is accused of murdering Emily on May 7 last year. He and his parents, Leigh, 54, and Anita, 51, are also accused of intent to pervert the course of justice after bugs placed in their home revealed attempts to cover up the true events surrounding the student’s death, according to prosecutor Timothy Mousley QC.

A jury of 11 men and one woman was told Emily met Turner at the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011 and that he soon became controlling and aggressive.

“Elliot Turner showed himself at times to be threatening, aggressive, violent, controlling and possessive towards Emily and suspicious and untrusting of her,” said Mr Mousley.

He said Emily told a friend Turner had grabbed her by the throat during an argument on Valentine’s Day and that Emily wrote Turner a letter after a trip to a hotel on the Isle of Man.

It said: “I love you, don’t say you will kill me. Stop being so constantly aggressive – you made me scared because you are so intimidating.”

A week before her death, Emily and a friend were in Bella Rosa in Canford Cliffs when, according to her friend, Turner grabbed her head and hit it on the table, said Mr Mousley.

“Emily was holding her head and she was crying,” said Mr Mousley.

He said friends of Turner’s claimed he then threatened to “smash up” anyone who spoke to Emily.

Mr Mousley said Emily attempted to break off her relationship with Turner but he followed her to two different bars on the night before her death before taking her to his home.

Emergency services were called to the Turner family home at 9.45am on May 7 and Elliot Turner was arrested on suspicion of murder.

He was later released on bail.

The court was told Emily is thought to have been dead for several hours before emergency services were called.

The court heard Elliot Turner’s parents were removed from the scene while police investigations were carried out but, when they returned to collect some medication, they removed evidence.

The jury was told covert listening devices recorded conversations between the three family members.

“At various points the three defendants spoke in various ways about fabricating their evidence and about being worried about having lied to the police,” said Mr Mousley.

The court was told Leigh Turner talked about destroying a letter and Elliot Turner said: “I just flipped, I went absolutely nuts. I was so angry, I just lost it. I felt this anger for about a month before, I just flipped, I grabbed her.”

The court was told a post mortem examination proved inconclusive but experts said there was a possibility of strangulation and one said: “The physical findings are entirely consistent with pressure being applied to the neck.”

All three defendants deny the charges against them.

The jury was told Emily was born in the UK but moved to New Zealand with her family when she was nine or 10.

She returned to England to study at Brockenhurst and was living with her grandparents in Southbourne at the time of her death.

The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, continues.

At the hearing

EMILY Longley's friends and family listened intently from the public gallery as the prosecution case was opened.

Her parents, Mark and Caroline, and other family members have travelled from New Zealand for the trail.

Friends of the Turner family were also in the Court Two gallery to hear prosecutor Timothy Mousley open the case against Elliot, Leigh and Anita Turner.

Beneath the public gallery, the three members of the Turner family were in the dock together.

Elliot Turner, who was wearing a dark blue suit and matching tie, is represented by Anthony Donne QC and Justin Gau.

His mother Anita Turner, 51, wearing a grey suit jacket and skirt, is represented by Fern Russell.

And Robert Grey is defending Leigh Turner, 54, who was wearing a grey suit, blue shirt and matching tie.

The prosecution case is being handled by Timothy Mousley QC and Simon Jones and the judge is the Honourable Mrs Justice Dobbs.

The court is filled with police officers, legal representatives and dozens of evidence.