A court in London has heard that a trans woman had been stabbed to death following a chemsex session in March.

Jesse McDonald met 36 year-old Naomi Hersi online earlier this year. They spent four days together between March 14 and 18. McDonald, who has been charged with murder and perverting the course of justice, has claimed he was acting in self-defence.
McDonald then contacted his 18 year-old girlfriend Natalia Darkowska to assist in the ‘cleaning up’ of the hotel. The couple had intended to dispose of Hersi’s body, but she was found on the bathroom floor of the hotel room, partially covered by a rug.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood told the court about McDonald’s intentions during their encounter:

“He was looking for something edgy, a little bit risky and possibly prepared to use drugs in the course of the experience.”

Heywood continued: “They passed time together, took drugs and had sex at her address, to which she had invited him. After three days of that, he took her back to her address.

“After a time, he drugged her, fought with her and eventually killed her, stabbing and cutting her multiple times with a broken bottle and knife, and perhaps other things in order to achieve her death.”

The prosecutor condemned the actions of McDonald and Darkowska following Hersi’s death during the chemsex session:

“Each was thinking only of themselves and each other – without a care for the deceased, whom they believed was unlikely because of her lifestyle to be missed.”

ChemSex refers to the use of any combination of drugs, including crystal methamphetamine, mephedrone and/or GHB/GBL, before or during sex.

Naomi Hersi, who was openly transgender, lived in Mill Hill in north-west London. Her family were originally from Somalia. Her death points to an epidemic of violence against trans people. At least 35 transgender people have been unlawfully killed this year.