Thursday, July 18, 2019

Lodger taken in by family r*pes and murders their 13-year old daughter

A lodger who was taken in by a family before having a s*xual affair with their 13-year-old daughter has today been found guilty of murdering her after she claimed she was pregnant with his child.

'Cold and calculated predatory paedophile' Stephen Nicholson lured Lucy McHugh to woodland near her home in Southampton before stabbing her almost 30 times then dumping her body.

The 25-year-old tattoo artist and care worker had exploited the 'vulnerable' teenager for more than a year.

Cannabis-smoking Nicholson grew increasingly nervous after Lucy confessed her love to him.

He became concerned when their secret relationship - which begun when Lucy was just 12 - would be revealed and he would be exposed as a paedophile, so hatched a sickening plan to kill the teenager. 

Just hours after murdering Lucy on July 25 last year, Nicholson then texted her mother telling her to 'keep her chin up and stay positive,' adding, 'I'm sure they'll find her soon.'

Little did Lucy's mother know the man she had let into her home had been exploiting her teenage daughter, forcing his way into her bedroom and making her have 'rough s*x'.

Lucy had tried to tell her mother about her relationship with Nicholson but she was dismissed and told to 'get back to her fantasy land.'

In harrowing diary entries, Lucy described how Nicholson took her virginity after the pair played a video game together at her home, and detailed how she locked herself in the bathroom to avoid having sex with him. 

Throughout his trial Nicholson had even tried to blame Lucy's parents for killing her.

It can also be revealed today how detectives investigating the brutal and frenzied murder only received data from social media giant Facebook the day her killer's trial was due to start.