'Listening to the last moments of a man being strangled to death was the most distressing things I've ever heard'
Two weeks ago, I walked into Chelmsford Crown Court and sat on the press bench, ready to listen to the opening of Essex's latest murder trial. Reporting in the county for the best part of nine years, hearing difficult details of violent cases is a part of our jobs.
With each case, you get more accustomed to hearing details of extremely dark aspects of our society. As bad as it sounds, you become numb to lots of crimes and actions that others less immersed in this world would recoil at. But time and time again, thing come along that still rattle you.
The murder of Richard Langley in Thaxted in March 2024 was a brutal act of revenge by Kevin Horswill, over something so trivial, a petty row fueled by alcohol. Mr Langley, 52, had allegedly been involved in a form of altercation with 51-year-old Horswill's wife.
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Following a row in the pub, and instead of just cooling off back in the comfort of his home, Horswill enacted revenge by following Mr Langley to his home, attacking him, and strangling him to death with his own clothing, right outside the safety of his flat.
Rows resulting in killings is nothing new in Essex or other parts of the world, but it was the evidence in this case that chilled me to my core. A neighbour, hearing a commotion outside their home, making an audio recording on her phone, and not even realising the horrifying reality of what she was capturing - the last seconds of a man's life.
This audio recording, with enhanced sound, was played to the jury at the beginning of the trial. There was no warning prior to this sound file being played, nor an inkling of just how distressing it would be. We hear a struggle, a voice shouting "get off me" before horrible, suffocated screams and desperate cries, before silence, with only the sound of Horswill's heavy breathing and footsteps walking away.
This isn't like TV shows or films, this was a real, deadly fight, and it tore right through me. I've never felt so disturbed or shocked, hearing raw audio of a man losing his life in a desperate struggle. The sickness I felt after hearing it for the first time was so unbearable, I had to either leave court or cover my ears whenever the jury was played it again.
When the audio was first played, I tried to focus my attention on Horswill in the dock. He remained very composed throughout the whole trial, but I could see during this audio he appeared slightly uncomfortable, as if he was only just holding in his emotions.
After he was found guilty, Horswill's custody photo was released by police, depicting severe injuries he had sustained to his face and right eye during the struggle with Mr Langley. This further cemented my deep discomfort with this case - Mr Langley had clearly fought for his life in those final moments, but ended up being no match.
If I felt this way about the evidence, I can't imagine how the jury must have felt, or the loved ones of all involved in this case. You can never truly prepare for things like this, and the killing will remain etched in my memory for years to come.