THE man accused of killing his teenage girlfriend has admitted grabbing her by the neck and pinning her down until she stopped moving, a court heard.

Elliot Turner made the admission under cross examination at his Winchester Crown Court murder trial yesterday.

The prosecution says 20-year-old Turner killed his girlfriend, Emily Longley, after a violent argument in the bedroom of his parent’s Bournemouth home, following an earlier row at Poole’s Cafe Shore where he accused the aspiring model of dressing like a “whore.”

Timothy Mousley QC, prosecuting, believes Turner knowingly got into bed next to the lifeless body of his girlfriend after killing her, then waited until the morning to raise the alarm Mr Mousley said: “Our case is that you knew full well, before your mother got up, that Emily was dead.

“You know you did it, you just didn’t have the courage to admit you killed Emily. You strangled her with your arm and forced her head down into the pillow.”

Earlier, the court heard Turner admit a “physical” argument took place in his bedroom at the family’s Queenswood Avenue home, Queens Park, Bournemouth, in the early hours of May 7, last year.

During this argument Turner – who was later covertly recorded by police saying he had “gone nuts” during the row – says Emily kicked him three times, a point strongly disputed by the prosecution.

Turner, who had previously made more than a dozen threats to kill Emily, said: “I know I shouldn’t have grabbed her by the neck. I just didn’t think about hurting her.

“I didn’t mean to harm her – it was not my intention.”

Turner said Emily came at him with her arms flailing during the row. “She went nuts,” he told the court.

He then admitted grabbing her by the neck, then holding her down on the bed for five or six seconds until she stopped moving.

However, the defendant insisted when he came back to the bedroom after smoking a cigarette and writing a letter of apology, Emily had stirred and pulled the covers over her.

Mr Mousley said: “You held her face down into that pillow didn’t you?”

A pillow, recovered at the scene and later examined by forensic experts had a “face mask” make-up imprint on it.

“The major mark, the clearest marks,” said Mr Mousley, “are from when she could not move her head.”

Elliot Turner is accused of murdering Emily Longley on May 7 last year.

He is also accused together with his parents Leigh Turner, 54, and Anita Turner, 51, of perverting the course of justice.

All three deny the charges.

The trial continues.