British Man Admits to Murdering Canadian Teen Girlfriend When She Visited UK

A 23-year-old man admitted on Wednesday to murdering his Canadian girlfriend just weeks after the 19-year-old moved to the UK to be with him.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, Jack Sepple admitted to killing Ashley Wadsworth, who he had met on a dating app, reported Mirror. Wadsworth died from "a number of stab wounds," police said. She was found dead at a block of flats in Tennyson Road, Chelmsford at around 4 p.m. on Feb 1. It was just days before she was due to fly home.

A previous court hearing was told that the teen was on a six-month tourist visa and went to Britain after meeting Sepple online.

According to The Sun, things turned sour when "possessive" Sepple quickly showed his darker side, her family said. Her family shared that she had begged them to get her an earlier plane ticket home shortly before she was killed.

Cops reached the flat after getting reports of a domestic disturbance and then Sepple was arrested. Paramedics made efforts to save the Canadian teen, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Later, an inquest opening gave a provisional cause of death as a stab injury to the chest.

A court was previously told that Sepple was found on a bed next to Wadsworth's body when cops arrived.

Wadsworth's great aunt Tova said that the teen was on the "trip of a lifetime" after arriving in the UK from her house in Vernon, British Columbia in November 2021.

During the brief hearing, Sepple's barrister said that a psychiatrist had indicated that he was fit to plead. The "issue of fitness is now resolved," said Christopher Paxton QC, for Sepple. The lawyer requested that the defendant be asked to enter a plea. When the court clerk read the single charge of murder, Sepple replied, "I'm guilty." He showed little emotion while admitting to the crime.

Essex Police said in a statement that Sepple, who was remanded in custody, is set to be sentenced on Oct. 10.

Judge Christopher Morgan told him that by his plea of guilty of murder there is only one sentence and that is to be "passed and that is a life sentence."

Detective Superintendent Scott Egerton, senior investigating officer, said that the evidence against Sepple was so "overwhelming that he was left with very few options other than to admit his guilt."