Emily trial: What mother told police

Emily Longley. Photo / Supplied

The mother of the accused killer of New Zealand student Emily Longley told police she could not explain the delay in calling an ambulance after Emily's body was found.

Emily, 17, was allegedly strangled by boyfriend Elliot Turner, 20, in a jealous rage at his parents' home in Bournemouth, Dorset.

A jury in Winchester Crown Court has been told the wealthy jeweller's son attacked Emily during a drunken argument before his parents helped him cover up the killing in May last year.

His mother, Anita Turner, 51, and father Leigh Turner, 54 are charged with perverting the course of justice.

Yesterday, the jury was read a transcript of the police interview with Anita Turner on the day she was arrested, June 1 last year.

She was asked by Detective Constable David O'Grady to explain a delay in making an emergency 999 call on the morning of May 7 after Emily's body was found in Turner's bed.

A phone call was recorded to the jeweller's shop owned by her husband at 9.12am, but the 999 call was not recorded until 9.45am.

Mrs Turner said: "I don't know why there was a delay.

"I had been trying to wake her up because this has happened before, five or six weeks ago.

"But before, she has woken up and just said 'sorry, I had a bit too much to drink last night'."

It was then suggested to Mrs Turner that during the time before the 999 call was made, she, her husband and Elliot got together to "come up with a story".

Mrs Turner responded: "That's disgusting."

Earlier in her interview, she had described shaking Emily in an effort to try to wake her up.

She said: "When I couldn't wake her up I called an ambulance straight away."

The court heard that a computer taken by police from the Turners' house on June 1 had website searches recorded on it, including enquiries about strangulation and death by strangulation.

A search for "the law of self defence" and "how to get out of being charged with murder"' was found on another computer owned by Leigh Turner.

- staff reporter