Teenage girl 'lay dying in the back seat of a car while two men drove for hours looking for sex workers'

Jason Burder and Adam King spiked drinks taken by Megan Bannister, 16, with fatal amounts of ecstasy, court hears

Megan had only met Burder, 28, the day before the tragedy (Facebook)

Two men drove around for hours looking for prostitutes on their phones while a teenage girl lay dying in the back seat after they had spiked her drinks with ecstasy and strangled her, a court heard.

Jason Burder and Adam King, both 28, searched for and rang escort services on their devices while Megan Bannister, 16, suffered seizures after they had secretly given her fatal levels of the Class A drug, prosecutors said.

But rather than seek help for her as she suffered spasms, they instead recorded her fits and posted the videos on Snapchat as they drove through Leicester, they added.

Burder and King had earlier sneaked the MDMA into her drinks when the three went to Burder’s house in Leicester, before they were later seen carrying her lifeless body to his car, jurors were told.

Burder later ploughed his Vauxhall Astra into a motorbike, and when a nurse came to their aid at the accident and noticed Megan’s body in the back, both he and King told her she was “asleep”.

The woman, and another nurse and off-duty police officer who were also passing by, carried Megan from the car to the side of the road and tried to resuscitate her after they realised she was dead, the court heard.

But they battled in vain and Megan was later officially pronounced dead after an ambulance crew arrived at the scene at just after midday following the tragedy in Enderby on May 14.

Burder and King are on trial at Birmingham Crown Court, charged with gross negligence manslaughter.

Megan died after being strangled or by a drugs overdose or a combination of both, prosecutor Miranda Moore QC told the court.

She said: "Megan Bannister was provided with alcohol and drugs by these two.

"She was also strangled at some point whilst in their company. The pathologist will say that it is unclear which mechanism - drugs or strangulation or a combination of both - that led to the death.

"It's unclear because these two lied about it. These two men, having left Megan Bannister in a perilous state by drug supply and then strangulation, left her with no care."

The court heard that Megan, a chip shop worker, and Burder had only first met the day before, and had agreed to meet again on the night before the tragedy.

They later went to Burder’s house with King, after the two men had picked up two grams of MDMA and later took it in Burder’s house in the early hours of the morning, it was alleged.

Forensics tests found that Megan had an amount of the drug in her system that was 10 times higher than that found in Burder and King. She was also found with traces of cocaine.

"That's further evidence that she was spiked. If they all took the same drugs, the level of toxicity would be the same," added Ms Moore QC.

In a police interview, Burder and King claimed they "could not remember" anything from taking drugs until the car crash.

The court heard Burder's semen was also found on Megan's chest and inside her, suggesting they had sex either on the evening they met or the night of her death.

Burder denies supplying class A drugs, possession and supply of MDMA, supplying cocaine and offering to supply MDMA. King also denies supplying class A drugs.

The trial, due to last three weeks, continues.