A volunteer coastguard allegedly staged the suicide of his live-in partner after killing her and creating the appearance of a road collision, a court has heard.
Rowan Sutton is accused of running over 22-year-old Aimee Pike with his Land Rover on a dark country road before moving her body and attempting to make her death appear to be a suicide. The jury at Plymouth Crown Court was told that Sutton allegedly transported Aimee’s body to a main road, placed it on a low wall and waited for a passing van at around 4am to create the impression that she had jumped into traffic.
Prosecutor James Dawes KC told the court that Sutton filmed the passing bakery van before placing Aimee’s body on the road. He allegedly recorded himself shouting at the van driver and staged a fake conversation with Aimee, saying “don’t do it, stay there” before shouting her name as the vehicle approached.
The court heard that two plasters containing Aimee’s DNA were found near the scene and that vegetation was discovered in her hair, suggesting she had been moved. Her body was later found further along the road. Prosecutors said Sutton attempted to make the incident look “like a car crash”. The jury heard that Sutton and Aimee had been together for five years but were separating, and prosecutors allege he feared losing access to their son.
Mr Dawes told the court that Sutton had spread false claims that Aimee was suicidal, telling family members and colleagues at the coastguard that she was unstable, struggling with her mental health and at risk of harming herself. He said: “That’s because he planned to fake her suicide but in fact killed her and made it look like suicide.”
The prosecutor added that Sutton allegedly wanted to maintain exclusive access to his son and that this was a motive behind the alleged crime. The court heard that after their relationship ended, the pair continued living together at their flat in West Charleton Court, near Kingsbridge, Devon.
The jury was told Sutton had allegedly displayed controlling and coercive behaviour towards Aimee and was prone to “bouts of intense anger”. Prosecutors also alleged that three weeks before Aimee’s death, Sutton sexually assaulted her while she was asleep and filmed the incident. He denies the allegation.
The court further heard that Aimee had stayed in Sutton’s caravan in the nearby village of Loddiswell, where prosecutors allege he installed a hidden camera inside a clock to record her without her knowledge. Aimee died in the early hours of April 23, 2025. The prosecution said she had originally planned to spend the night away from Sutton before he returned to their flat.
Mr Dawes told the jury that Sutton parked in a village hall car park away from CCTV coverage before returning home. Prosecutors allege that during the following two and a half hours, he viewed secret recordings and sent himself a message under a false name, pretending it came from another person, claiming Aimee had been unfaithful.
The court heard that Sutton later left the property after the street lights went out, drove his Land Rover towards the caravan area and took a route designed to avoid cameras. Prosecutors allege he left his phone at home to create the impression he had not left the house and removed the vehicle’s dash camera.
Mr Dawes said: “He went there not to check on Aimee but to murder her. The injuries to Aimee would suggest he ran her down in that Land Rover in the darkness in the countryside somewhere. There were no witnesses to this killing.” Sutton denies murdering Aimee and denies s3xually assaulting her. The trial continues, with the jury due to visit the scene alongside the judge and legal teams.
