THE jury has been sent out to consider its verdict in the trial of a married police officer accused of the murder of his long-term lover.

Timothy Brehmer, 41, of Hordle, New Forest, is accused of strangling lover Claire Parry to death at the Horns Inn pub car park in West Parley on May 9 after she sent a text to his wife revealing their affair.

The defendant claims Mrs Parry accidentally suffered the fatal injury in a “kerfuffle” in his car while he was trying to push her out of the vehicle so he could drive away.

And judge Mr Justice Richard Jacobs summing up the case, which entered its 11th day at Salisbury Crown Court on October 26, said the jury had to be sure Brehmer intended to kill or cause Mrs Parry serious harm.

The jury were reminded that on On May 7 and May 8 Mrs Parry began speaking with Kate Rhodes, whom also had a relationship with Brehmer, and that’s when the defendant said everything went “bonkers”.

Mrs Parry was then “relentlessly” messaging Brehmer, accusing him of cheating on her and threatening to tell Martha Brehmer about the affair and told him to meet her at the Horns Inn at 3pm on May 9.

A text was sent to Mrs Brehmer saying “I’m cheating on you” at 3.02pm, Brehmer is seen on CCTV 20 minutes later walking to the entrance of the pub, Mrs Parry was unconscious at this stage and died of a brain injury due to compression to the neck.

Pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery described the injuries as “severe neck injuries indicative of the application of significant force to the neck”.

She said she struggled to envisage how a struggle in the car would result in these injuries. The defence said the jury has an advantage over Dr Jeffery because they have heard all the evidence and seen the car.

In prison on July 3, Brehmer had a conversation with prison officer Scott Stentiford who said he was 100 per cent sure the defendant told him he was trying to keep Mrs Parry in the car.

Brehmer, when giving evidence, admitted having a conversation with Mr Stentiford, but described his account of it as “a load of shoelaces”.

On the same day, the prison officer submitted an intelligence report about the conversation, on July 7 he was advised to take notes on the conversation and on July 21 he made a statement.

Defence claimed the time between the conversation and the statement meant Mr Stentiford “assumed” some of the conversation and his evidence should not be considered by the jury.

Judge Jacobs said: “The prosecution must make you sure (that Brehmer intended to kill or cause Mrs Parry serious harm) if you are to convict of murder but the prosecution doesn’t have to make you sure there was a particular scenario or series of events but it does have to make you sure of a particular intention.”