A WOMAN laughed off an attempted “strangling” by her boyfriend weeks before he allegedly murdered her, a jury heard yesterday.

Claire Forster said her mother Lisa Consterdine told her she had woken up with Sean Freaney’s hands around her neck at their home in Bicester.

Three weeks later the 48-year-old was found dead at their house in Purslane Drive.

Freaney, 51, denies murdering the mother-of-two on the night of February 28 last year.

The jury at Oxford Crown Court yesterday heard evidence from Ms Forster, her sister Kathryn Egerton and husband Martin Egerton, who were all in the house the night Miss Consterdine died.

Prosecutor Neil Moore asked Ms Forster what the couple’s relationship was like.

She said: “They were an amazingly happy couple. They were always laughing.

“About three weeks before mum died, she came downstairs one morning and was laughing.

“She said Sean had tried to strangle her and she had woken up with his hand around her neck.

“Mum shrugged him off and said it was almost as if he had been doing it in his sleep and had woken up.”

Ms Forster added: “Everything then went back to normal in the house. It was fine.”

Tapes were played to the jury of two 999 calls made by the defendant. During the calls Freaney was heard to say he had strangled his girlfriend, but later that he had shot her, and pleaded with the operator to send someone to “pick him up” because he had a gun and was going to “kill everyone”.

Armed officers arrived shortly afterwards and found Miss Consterdine lifeless on her bed.

Ms Forster said there had been “tension” in the house the night before, but added Freaney earlier played with her 11-month-old daughter while they shared a pizza.

She said: “The first thing I remember is being woken up by my sister with armed officers in the house. I was told to stay in my room and there was an armed officer by my door.

“I heard the shock machine (defibrillator). I knew then she was dead.”

Ms Forster admitted to defence counsel David Hislop she had never heard Freaney raise his voice to her mother.

Mrs Egerton said she was woken up by an armed officer.

She said: “I remember him opening my door and asking me if anyone else was in the house. He then told me to wake my sister and stay with her in the room. A bit later the police officer explained what had happened.”

Mr Egerton, who was also in the room, added: “I heard someone on the landing say ‘It couldn’t have been long because she’s still warm’.

“That’s when I realised what had happened.”

The trial continues.