Chilling moment tycoon Peter Morgan tries to cover up murder of £10k a month escort to cops in kitchen of the £300,000 bungalow where he killed her
Morgan, 54, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years for killing Georgina Symonds at her home after he found out she was planning to blackmail and leave him
THIS is the chilling moment a millionaire tycoon tried to cover up the murder of his £10,000-a-month escort to cops in the kitchen of the bungalow where he killed her.
Peter Morgan, 54, was today jailed for life for strangling 25-year-old Georgina Symonds with a homemade ligature after he found out she was planning to "fleece him", leave him and work for other men.
Footage from a police body-worn camera shows the 54-year-old sitting on a kitchen counter at Miss Symonds' home in Llanmartin, Newport, while officers question her whereabouts.
DC Richard Thomas, of Gwent Police, can be heard telling the dad-of-two that they are struggling to account for where she is, to which Morgan replies: "No", while shrugging his shoulders.
The officer then asks him where he thought she was going when he last reportedly saw her at midday on January 12 this year.
He tells them: "She didn’t say. She didn’t say. She just wanted me gone by 12... I don’t know whether she was off out or whether someone was coming here or what."
But in reality by 12pm that day, the self-confessed sugar daddy had already strangled his escort lover, wrapped her body in polythene and dumped it in a workshop at his martial home.
After killing her he proceeded to feed her dogs, went to the office, paid a visit to the bank and even rung Miss Symonds mother to express his concern over her drug use.
He later confessed to officers that he had "intentions to kill her" after fearing she was going to blackmail him after he heard her on a listening device say she was going to leave him and work in London.
He was today jailed for life, with a minimum of 25 years, for the "carefully planned and calmly executed" murder, which a judge said was done "in cold anger".
Mr Justice Neil Garnham QC refused to accept Morgan's defence that he suffered from Asperger Syndrome and had no option but to kill Georgina because of a loss of control.
Morgan was emotionless in the dock as the judge told him: "You were 54 and she was 25. The arrangements between you were essentially commercial."
The judge said Morgan killed Georgina after bugging her home and discovering she planned to leave him.
"You learned, in essence, that Georgina Symonds had absolutely no respect and no time for you. You might have loved her, but she didn't even like you," he said.
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He said Morgan put a towel over Georgina's face while he strangled her with a ligature made from bailing twine before hiding her body in a farm building.
He said: "You couldn't bring yourself to look at her as she died.
"It is perfectly plain that it was your intention then to try and avoid responsibility for the killing, if you could."
Morgan, who is worth £20million, had kept his tryst with the former burlesque dancer a secret from his family - including his dad, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, David Morgan.
He lavished the mum-of-one, from Newport, Gwent, with spa days, helicopter rides and shopping trips as well as £10,000 a month spending money, while living with wife Helen, 50, and their two teenage daughters.
But controlling Morgan, of Llanellen, near Abergavenny, planted a listening device - saved on his iPhone as Isobel - in the bungalow, where she was able to live rent free, and eavesdropped 514 times.
He listened for up to two hours a day from November 2015 until January this year.
Two days before her murder, Morgan claimed he overheard Miss Symonds talking to her lover, Tom Ballinger - who she had met at the wake of her boyfriend who had killed himself.
The killer told the court: "I can remember her saying she would 'do me over' and I just assumed it was financially."
The next day he made a list on his iPhone reading: "String, 02, poly, glove, snip, handle, tape, Special K, starter, rag, adaptor".
CCTV cameras later captured him at Beech Hill Farm - his marital home - where he was seen collecting a metal pole and rope from a workshop.
Newport Crown Court heard Miss Symonds had a series of intimate pictures of Morgan engaging in a threesome and images of her wearing his wife's dressing gown, which she threatened to show his family.
He said he went round to the house in his castle grounds on January 12, this year, to "frighten" Miss Symonds over the "blackmail plot" and used a ligature, which he had tied knots in, to strangle her.
Morgan told the jury he twice released the pressure around Miss Symonds neck but strangled her after she told him "you're going to pay for this".
He said: "I had just been pushed too far."
Morgan wrapped her body in plastic and duct tape and hid it in farm buildings behind his family home.
He explained that when Miss Symonds' family and friends contacted him after she failed to collect her daughter from school, he said nothing but later confessed to police and directed them to the body.
Morgan also told the court that he had previously contemplated poisoning Miss Symonds with anti-freeze in order to get her into hospital for treatment for her drug and alcohol problems.
The victim's mother, Deborah Symonds, said: “The death of my daughter has been a devastating tragedy for the whole of our family.
“Her beautiful daughter has been left without a mum.
“Georgina has left a hole in our lives that will never be repaired.
“All of our happy memories will be kept forever in our hearts.
“We respect the decision of the jury and whatever sentence is handed to Peter Morgan will never compensate for our loss.
“We would now like to be left to grieve as a family in privacy.
“The family would like to express our sincere thanks to Gwent Police who have been excellent throughout our ordeal.”
Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Roger Fortey added: “This is a tragic case that resulted in the death of Georgina, the loss of a mother, daughter, sister and friend to many.
“The actions of Peter Morgan were calculated and he committed the act without emotion.
“Hopefully this conviction will bring some closure to the family in terms of the criminal justice process but we are in no doubt that Georgina’s family and friends will continue to mourn and grieve for the rest of their lives.
“Our condolences remain with those who have suffered her loss.”
His country-set family, who amassed their fortune in the farming industry, are said to be "devastated" by his fall from grace.
His father David Morgan, 75, was handed an MBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace just six months before his son brutally killed his call girl lover.
He left the family business and moved into property gaining an impressive portfolio and marrying his devoted wife Helen, 50, in 1992 before having two daughters.
But he was drawn into the seedy world of escorts and sex websites which he blamed on his "mid-life crisis" after friends introduced him to sex website Adultwork.com on his new iPhone.
There he found a pretty blonde named Hannah James - who transpired to be Georgina Symonds using a pseudonym.
His mid-life crisis also included compulsive spending habits on "boys toys" including more sports cars, an American fire engine and guns.
He revealed he once bought a decommissioned tank "because it looked like an Action Man one I had as a child".
He also owned several guns including an AK47 he stored at one of his family farmhouses.
One of his purchases was 45-room Pencoed Castle in Llanmartin where Georgina Symonds was strangled to death.
Georgina's world 'fell apart' after boyfriend died
HIGH-CLASS escort Georgina Symonds was two-timing her tycoon boyfriend with her "poor" bit on the side who died after she said "go hang yourself" in a row.
The 25-year-old was torn between sugar daddy Peter Morgan and electrician boyfriend Peter Deem - who friends branded "Rich Pete" and "Poor Pete" to differentiate - but her "world fell apart" when the younger of the two took his own life.
She had met "love of her life" Mr Deem aged 17 when she was training as a beautician and the pair quickly became an item.
Soon into their relationship the mum-of-one took up pole dancing and burlesque classes and when she was 18 - after having the first of two boob jobs - she began working as a stripper and lap dancer in clubs in Newport and Cardiff.
Newport Crown Court heard Miss Symonds was then introduced to the idea of working in the lucrative escort industry but Mr Deem was against the idea and they began an "open relationship" because of the money coming in.
Former call centre worker Georgina advertised herself as an escort on sex website Adultwork.com using the name Hannah James.
And the court heard it was through that website that she met millionaire property developer Peter Morgan in August 2012.
The trial was told Miss Symonds soon entered into a "three-way" relationship with the two Petes - who were both said to have "loved her".
Miss Symonds was torn between the two men but it was agreed she would continue her relationship with Mr Deem and meet up with Morgan around twice a week for sex, shopping trips and rides on his quad bikes.
But one day, Miss Symonds told Morgan she had split with Mr Deem and the millionaire soon moved her in to a bungalow on the site of his 13th century castle in Llanmartin, near Newport, that he owned.
He also began giving Miss Symonds between £7,000 and £10,000 a month for living expenses to be his "exclusive" escort.
But the trial heard Mr Deem and Miss Symonds continued to secretly meet each other in an "on-off relationship".
However following a row in November 2015, the call girl sent Mr Deem a message saying: "Why don't you do everyone a favour and hang yourself?"
The court heard Mr Deem was later found dead having hanged himself in woods.
Miss Symonds blamed Morgan for Mr Deem's suicide, because he had banned him from entering the bungalow on the grounds of Pencoed Castle, in Newport, South Wales.
Her mum Deborah said: "When Peter Deem killed himself Georgina didn't want any more to do with Peter Morgan and it all fell apart.
"Before that Georgina and Peter Morgan were happy I saw them happy together in the bungalow and I was happy for them.
"But when Peter Deem killed himself Georgina was in a terrible place. She could not get her act together.
"She told Peter Morgan she did not want him any more she wanted him out of her life.
"Peter Deem was the love of her life. When he killed himself she was so devastated and upset and heartbroken.
"She told me: 'Mum I'd give all this up to live in a terraced house with Peter Deem'."