GUILTY UK - Lucy McHugh, 13, murdered,, Southampton, 25 July 2018

[Alyce]

10:54am

DC Brett Woolley is now giving evidence about the arrest of Nicholson.

DC Woolley told members of the jury Nicholson was arrested on the evening of July 27 last year at Totton train station


LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Alyce]

10:59am

Junior prosecutor Dan Sawyer is now going through transcripts of Nicholson’s interviews with police following his arrest.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Alyce]

no further updates as yet

 

[Alyce]

11:44am

During the interviews, Nicholson told police of his movements on the day of, and before, Lucy’s body was found at Southampton Sport Centre.

He denied having any involvement with Lucy's death.

He also told police how Lucy was obsessed with him and would follow him around the house and take belongings of his.

He added he had woken up with Lucy standing over him before.

He denied having sexual contact with her.

Nicholson also told police Lucy had threatened to tell her mum that she was pregnant.


LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Alyce]

During the first interview, Nicholson told police he had burned his trainers because they had split while cleaning out a shed, and had thrown away his Samsung phone because he bought drugs on it and didn't want to risk his safety by police going through it and discovering his dealers.

Nicholson would not tell police which bin he threw it into.


LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Alyce]

A more detailed round-up of the police interview, and the rest of today's evidence, will follow on the Daily Echo website later.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Tortoise]

He probably only had one pair of trainers, that's why I'm thinking he didn't dump them with his clothes. Then took delivery of the new pair and decided he had to burn the old ones.

Buying new trainers though, if he ordered them the day before, shows he premeditated it. Unless that's all one big unlucky coincidence, or he managed to order them after the murder and have them delivered immediately.

 

[Alyce]

He probably only had one pair of trainers, that's why I'm thinking he didn't dump them with his clothes. Then took delivery of the new pair and decided he had to burn the old ones.

Buying new trainers though, if he ordered them the day before, shows he premeditated it. Unless that's all one big unlucky coincidence, or he managed to order them after the murder and have them delivered immediately.

Would be really useful to know when he ordered them.
Delivery was between 9 and 11am ( again would be good to know exact time ) so I would guess on the order being at least one day prior.
Have we heard anything about forensics on his bike ?

 

[Tortoise]

Would be really useful to know when he ordered them.
Delivery was between 9 and 11am ( again would be good to know exact time ) so I would guess on the order being at least one day prior.
Have we heard anything about forensics on his bike ?

No, but they did make a point of saying it would become important later when they showed footage of him riding his bike hands-free.

 

[Alyce]

12:19pm
The trial has resumed, with Mr Sawyer summing up subsequent police interviews with Nicholson.

Mr Sawyer has now finished summing up, and the jury is being shown the Motorola mobile phone Nicholson had with him when he was arrested by police at Totton train station.

The court has heard Nicholson was asked to give his passwords to police on July 31 but declined.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Alyce]

12:38pm
Turning to police searches carried out, a statement from PC Michael Spencer. In it he said the operation is believed to have involved the largest fingertip search ever carried out in the UK.

12:42pm
A crime scene investigator has now been called to give evidence.

He is talking about the Tanner's Brook search on August 30.

He said clothing was found in a wooded area off Bindon Road.

He told the jury some of it looked burned.

Among the clothing was a pair of tracksuit bottoms, which he described as "very wet", and a blue hoody.

The jury has been shown the tracksuit bottoms, which junior prosecutor Mr Sawyer noted has a burn hole on the rear of the right leg.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Alyce]

Bindon Road and wooded area

Google Maps

 

[Alyce]

The court is now being shown the blue hoody, which the police officer confirmed was blood-stained, and contained blood-stained blue surgical gloves in the front pocket.

 

[Alyce]

12:56pm
The trial is now breaking for lunch. It will resume at 2pm.

 

[LittleMystery]

The court is now being shown the blue hoody, which the police officer confirmed was blood-stained, and contained blood-stained blue surgical gloves in the front pocket.

Guessing this was why the gloves were brought up earlier in the trial then. To show that anyone in the house had access to them.

 

[Alyce]

We return. Prosecutor Mr Mousley says he has completed his examination. Defence barrister James Newton-Price QC will now examine the police analyst.
Mr Newton-Price probes the police's analyst over the phone data at Tanners Brook.
He tells the jury there are "jumps" in the location data, showing Nicholson's phone near an area of vegetation and then a nearby residential road in a matter of seconds.
Mr Newton-Price tells the court: "In essence, it is fair to say that when in these types of terrain, we say there is a rather more chaotic pattern in terms of location data."


LIVE: 'Keep your chin up': What Lucy McHugh's alleged killer text teenager's mum after her disappearance, court told

Just bringing this back up. Defence Counsel seems to be saying the location data is erratic because it jumps from vegetation to residential in a matter of seconds.

But, if you look at this google map link - going from Bindon Road ( residential ) into the wooded area by Tanners Brook would only take a matter of seconds.


Google Maps

 

[Alyce]

Afternoon session

2:18pm
The court is now hearing from Sean Burke, the owner of the blue hoody that was found during the Tanner's Brook search.
He said it was a Christmas present bought for him by his sister.
He said he wasn't aware he had lost it until police knocked on his door.
It is thought he lost it in around 2016.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

 

[Alyce]

2:22pm
There will be another short break while the court waits for the next witness to arrive.

 

[LittleMystery]

Afternoon session

2:18pm
The court his now hearing from Sean Burke, the owner of the blue hoody that was found during the Tanner's Brook search.
He said it was a Christmas present bought for him by his sister.
He said he wasn't aware he had lost it until police knocked on his door.
It is thought he lost it in around 2016.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today

Hmm. Okay, didn’t expect the hoody to belong to an unknown 3rd party.

 

[Alyce]

2:57pm
The trial is now resuming and the next witness is being sworn in.