A man was murdered in his flat after being set up in a “honeytrap” by three young women, a court heard.
Vishal Gohel, 44, of Bushey, was found dead with gaffer tape around his mouth on January 23 this year.
St Albans Crown Court heard today Mr Gohel had been promised a sexual liaison with the women but ended up being gagged and beaten after three men burst into his High Street flat.
His fully clothed body was found on the bedroom floor by his neighbour, who spotted the front door ajar.
A prosecutor said a post mortem examination showed Mr Gohel suffered severe blows to his head and brain damage.
Six people, including five from London, are on trial for Mr Gohel’s murder. They also deny a charge of conspiracy to rob.
The defendants are Tevin Leslie, 21, of Hurst Street, Brixton; Sakeen Gordon, 20, of Uxbridge Road, Ealing; Brandon Browne, 21, of Laburnham Road, Rochester, Kent; Yarley Georgia Bruce-Annan, 20, of Harts Lane, Barking; Tiana Edwards Hancock, 18, of Fresh Wharf Road, Barking; and Faith Hoppie, 21, of Blake Avenue, Barking.
Prosecutor Charlotte Newell QC said: “The female defendants created a honeytrap. They promised him a sexual liaison that never happened.
“It allowed them to give entry to the three male defendants so they could burst in and take Vishal Gohel unawares and steal property from him.”
She said Mr Gohel was recorded on CCTV at a convenience store near his home at around 10.25pm buying items including alcohol and condoms.
She added that at 4.49pm on the day before he died, Mr Gohel received a text from Craigslist, an online marketplace where goods and services can be bought and sold.
The prosecutor said there was no evidence Mr Gohel had been in contact with the women before.
On the night of Mr Gohel’s death, three woman paid £42.75 for a taxi to take them from Barking in east London to Bushey.
It was alleged Bruce-Annan’s phone was used to contact Leslie, who was driving the other two men in his blue Audi from London to Bushey.
Ms Newell said: “The three females took a taxi to his address whilst keeping Tevin Leslie appraised of their movements.
“All six went to his home. It was quite an effort for them to make and was indicative of the rewards they expected.”
She said after the men arrived at around 2.30am on January 23 and before they left, Mr Gohel had been fatally attacked. Neighbours had heard noise from the flat.
The prosecutor added: “Mr Gohel was either dead or dying when they left. They made no attempt to provide any effective assistance for him or alert anyone to his plight. He had been left for dead by these six defendants.”
She added efforts had been made to clean the property and an iPhone and an iWatch had been taken.
Mr Gohel’s body was found later that night by a neighbour at around 10pm.
As well as suffering head injuries, including brain damage, Ms Newell said his voicebox was fractured, which was consistent with prolonged forceful squeezing of the neck.
His cause of death was asphyxia combined with a brain injury.
In court today, the jury heard Bruce-Annan told officers when she was arrested in February that ‘Sam’ - the nickname for Mr Gohel - had agreed to pay £80 each for sex with two of the women.
Edwards Hancock gave a prepared statement in which said her understanding was ‘Sam’ was Bruce-Annan’s sugardaddy.
The trial, which is set to last for eight weeks, has been adjourned until next Friday.
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