British car salesman 'accidentally killed his wife in sex game'

Lisa Jane Lyttle's husband was arrested in January last year after 'confessing' to killing his wife. Photo / Facebook

A British car salesman who claimed his wife died during a sex game that went horribly wrong, will be told he faces up to 20 years in prison on Monday when he goes on trial for her murder in Spain.

Warren Lyttle, 52, was arrested in January last year after "confessing" to killing his wife Lisa Jane, 49, at his home in Costa de la Calma, a short drive from the Majorcan holiday resort of Magaluf, the Daily Mail reports.

He said the mother-of-one, from Kilburn, north London, choked to death during a sado-masochistic role-play she proposed.

But it quickly emerged investigators were probing the theory the killing was premeditated.

State prosecutors in Spain confirmed they were treating Mrs Lyttle's death as murder in an indictment drafted earlier this year and will on Monday call for Lyttle to be jailed for 20 years.

Prosecutors have made it clear they do not believe the suspect's version of events and maintain he killed his victim with a telephone cord during a row in a "surprise attack" - leaving her no chance to defend herself.

As well as the lengthy prison sentence, prosecutors want Lyttle to pay Mrs Lyttle's grown-up daughter €180,000 (£159,390) compensation.

The victim, who lived in London but travelled regularly to Majorca to spend time with her expat husband, died in the early hours of January 23 last year.

Her husband alerted police and paramedics in a 999 call but they could do nothing to save her.

A post-mortem showed Mrs Lyttle died from asphyxia due to strangulation.

He made the shocking claim about her dying during a sex game during a private court quiz 48 hours after his detention.

He has been held behind bars ever since his arrest.

Around 300 people held a five-minute silence organised by Calvia Town Hall, which is roughly 5.5 miles from Costa de la Calma, in memory of Mrs Lyttle on the day of her death.

A spokesman for the Guardia Civil, which arrested her husband on suspicion of homicide, confirmed hours after her death: "A British man who is resident in Majorca phoned the emergency services around 3.20am and confessed during the call to killing his wife.

"The victim was strangled with a telephone cord during a row."

Mr Lyttle's mother Joan, speaking from her home in Neasden, north west London said afterwards: "We don't know how this could have possibly happened.

"It has left us in total shock. We're still waiting to talk to Warren to find out what went on.

"There were no problems in the marriage as far as we knew. They were happy."

Danie Tsuts-Gordon, a friend of the victim, wrote on Facebook: "A massive hole in my heart. She was a darling, beautiful inside and out."

Mrs Lyttle had only flown to Majorca two days before she was killed for a week-long holiday.

Her family told Spanish police Lyttle, who had lived in Majorca for around a decade, had a turbulent relationship with his victim.

It was not clear today if Mrs Lyttle's family would also prosecute Lyttle using their own lawyer, as is often the case in Spain where private prosecutions can take place parallel to the state one.

Private prosecutors acting for the families of crime victims usually demand tougher prison sentences and a higher level of compensation than state prosectors.