Man whose remains found in suitcase in Bristol 'raped and blackmailed teen'

BBC News

07-05-2025

Man whose remains found in suitcase 'raped teen'
8 minutes ago
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Sarah Jones
BBC News, West of England
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Albert Alfonso/Flickr
(left to right) Yostin Mosquera, 34, Albert Alfonso, 62, and Paul Longworth, 71, pictured on a boat in Colombia
WARNING: This article contains material that some people may find distressing.
A man whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase had raped and blackmailed a teenager, a court has heard.
The remains of Albert Alfonso, 62, and Paul Longworth, 71, were found in a suitcase and trunk left near the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol in July 2024, having been taken there from London.
At the trial of Yostin Mosquera, who is accused of murdering and dismembering the two men, a witness told the court he had been blackmailed by Mr Alfonso in exchange for sexual "favours".
Colombian national, Mr Mosquera, 35, denies both murders but has admitted the manslaughter of Mr Alfonso.
Using the pseudonym James Smith, the witness told the jury at the Old Bailey he was about 17 or 18 years old when he first met Mr Alfonso, nearly 20 years ago.
Giving evidence via video link, he said he had gone to Mr Alfonso's flat for drinks after a rugby match and waking up with a "banging headache".
When Mr Smith asked 'what's happened?', Mr Alfonso showed him a video of himself performing sex acts on Mr Smith.
"I didn't know what to do. I was mortified. At this point I didn't know my sexuality - I was confused and scared," he told the court.
"[Being a] black boy in London, gay, whether you were drunk or not - it didn't matter."
He said Mr Alfonso told him he was "not going to show anyone" and if he did "favours" for him, the video would never be shared.
Reuters
The remains of Albert Alfonso, 62, and Paul Longworth, 71, were found near the Clifton Suspension Bridge
Under cross-examination, defence barrister Tom Little KC asked Mr Smith: "Does it cross your mind, looking back, that you were raped?"
"Now, yes," he replied.
"And does it cross your mind that your drink may have been spiked?" the barrister asked.
"Now, yes."
"Does it cross your mind that you were groomed by Albert Alfonso?"
"Now, yes," Mr Smith said.
He said that Mr Alfonso had told him that he was interested in "black dominatrix" fantasies and described fetishes involving "master-slave" dynamics.
Mr Alfonso would pay him about £150 for each sexual encounter, the court heard, and over time, the meetings became routine and involved consensual acts.
Mr Smith said that he would sometimes initiate contact when he needed money.
Julia Quenzler
Yostin Mosquera is being supported by an interpreter at the Old Bailey
During the Covid pandemic, Mr Smith said he became closer with Mr Alfonso and started spending time with Mr Longworth - going on bike rides with them and occasionally being supported financially.
He told the court that when he was later introduced to Mr Mosquera, Mr Alfonso described him as a young man from Colombia who was staying with them while attending Ealing College.
He said Mr Alfonso claimed he was paying Mr Mosquera's travel and college fees, and that Mr Mosquera told him he had a wife and child back home.
"I asked if he was gay or straight - he said he was just doing it for the money," Mr Smith said.
"I said, 'Great - so was I'."
He said the three had taken part in a sex session together the week before the killings.
Describing the relationship between Mr Mosquera and Mr Alfonso, the witness said it seemed "good - very good".
"He was going to London with him, sightseeing, he seemed fun," he said.
"I didn't see anything that seemed like they disliked each other."
Speaking about Mr Longworth, he added: "He wouldn't hurt a fly. After the sessions he would come and sit with us and talk with us."
The trial continues.
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