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

[Alyce]

11:46am

The court now takes a short break.

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price asks if Lucy ever went missing.
Nicholson said she did.


I wonder how many times before Lucy had gone missing ? And what made last July different and caused immediate concern when Lucy was only 30 minutes late on that Wednesday evening.

 

[Legally Bland]

So the rape charges against Lucy are still active, right? (And possibly two counts of sexual activity with a child once she had turned 13.)

Mr Nicholson also denies three charges of raping Lucy when she was 12 and two counts of sexual activity with a child once she had turned 13.

The care worker, formerly of Mansel Road East, Southampton, also denies sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl in 2012.
Hoodie 'had teen victim and murder accused's DNA'

 

[Alyce]

12:05pm

An update from court this morning:


The jury has been ordered to return a not guilty verdict on one of the allegations against Nicholson.

This relates to sexual activity with Lucy, while she was 13.

Nicholson continues to face one allegation of sexual activity with a 13-year-old child, Lucy, three counts of rape against a girl under 12, also Lucy, and a further charge of sexual activity with another girl, who was 14.

He also continues to face an allegation of Lucy's murder.

He denies all of the allegations against him.





LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Alyce]

So the rape charges against Lucy are still active, right? (And possibly two counts of sexual activity with a child once she had turned 13.)

the latest update seems to be that one of the counts of sexual activity with Lucy, when she was 13, is the one for which the Jury have been instructed to return a not guilty verdict

 

[Alyce]

12:09pm

The trial continues.
Mr Newton-Price is now asking about Nicholson's cannabis dealing.
Nicholson confirms he was a cannabis dealer and would sell up to £500 worth of the Class B drug each week.

Nicholson said he would use various means to sell cannabis, including Facebook and Snapchat.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Alyce]

Nicholson is now asked about his knives.

He said he had a fishing multi-tool, which he would use to cut up bait and he may have had a fishing knife, as well as a multi-tool to cut up food for his reptiles.

Nicholson is asked if he ever owned a black-handled kitchen knife.
Mr Newton-Price refers to two pieces of plastic, thought to be from a kitchen knife, found near to Lucy's body.
Nicholson said he did not own such a knife.




LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price asks about the argument in which Lucy shouted "I've got a hold on you" at Nicholson.
He is asked what he thought Lucy meant.
Nicholson said: "I thought it was about all the cannabis."



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Alyce]

Nicholson is asked about the day he called in sick from his work at Agincare.
He said he had a stomach bug.

He is asked what he did that day.
He said he visited Mr Elmes' house to pick up some clothes, had a sleep at his mother's and then cycled to his friend's house, near Southampton Sports Centre.




LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Alyce]

The court is now shown CCTV of Nicholson cycling along the route to his friend's house.
He is asked why he is wearing a Superdry jacket in the middle of a "hot" summer.
He said: "I always wear my coat." He adds that he often cycles during the early hours and late at night, to get to and from work.

Nicholson said when he got to his friend's house, on Dunkirk Road, he did a few jobs for his friend and ordered a new pair of trainers "because his black work shoes had split".

He said as a result of the trainers being split he was wearing his grey trainers to work. He said he wasn't allowed to wear these at work.

Nicholson said he ordered the trainers at his friend's house because his friend had an account that would allow him to pay later and he was due to be paid on Friday.
He said he ordered them for next day delivery, with a delivery slot between 9am and 11am.






LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Elainera]

the latest update seems to be that one of the counts of sexual activity with Lucy, when she was 13, is the one for which the Jury have been instructed to return a not guilty verdict

I don't understand why this charge was dropped?

 

[Alyce]

The court is now shown CCTV of Nicholson cycling along the route to his friend's house.


Does this mean that all the msm pics of SN on his bicycle are from the day before Lucy's murder ?

 

[Alyce]

The court is now shown CCTV of Nicholson cycling away from his friend's house.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Alyce]

The court is now hearing about data showing Lucy creating a Facebook account on the night before she went missing.

Mr Newton-Price asks about a message Nicholson received from Lucy on the night before she disappeared.
He tells the court Lucy had messaged him on Facebook and threatened to tell her mother that he had made her pregnant if he did not meet her at Mansel Park.

Mr Newton-Price asks Nicholson about his reaction.
Nicholson said: "I just thought it was Lucy trying to cause trouble."
Asked if he responded,
he said: "I think it put something like 'yeah, whatever'."

Nicholson said he blocked Lucy and deleted the messages.




LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Tortoise]

I don't understand why this charge was dropped?

I expect the prosecution decided not to pursue it because the evidence fell through in some way. Maybe she told someone and they changed their testimony or they knew the evidence wasn't strong enough, or he had an alibi for the alleged date.

 

[Tortoise]

The court is now hearing about data showing Lucy creating a Facebook account on the night before she went missing.

Mr Newton-Price asks about a message Nicholson received from Lucy on the night before she disappeared.
He tells the court Lucy had messaged him on Facebook and threatened to tell her mother that he had made her pregnant if he did not meet her at Mansel Park.

Mr Newton-Price asks Nicholson about his reaction.
Nicholson said: "I just thought it was Lucy trying to cause trouble."
Asked if he responded,
he said: "I think it put something like 'yeah, whatever'."

Nicholson said he blocked Lucy and deleted the messages.




LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

Mansel Park is over 2 miles away from the sports centre.

 

[Alyce]

The court is now shown more CCTV of Nicholson cycling to Tesco on the morning of July 25 - the day Lucy went missing.

The court is now shown CCTV of Nicholson in Tesco Express on Coxford Road. Nicholson tells the court he was in Tesco buying things for his friend.

The court is now shown CCTV of what Mr Newton-Price describes as a "cyclist" in the Sports Centre on July 25.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Teenager's alleged killer to give evidence

 

[Tortoise]

I think Lucy really did think she was pregnant.

 

[Tortoise]

The judge, Mrs Justice May, told the jury at Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday to return a verdict of not guilty for a charge of sexual activity with a child against Lucy on multiple occasions when she was aged 13 between October 23, 2017, and July 26, 2018.

Lucy McHugh murder accused not guilty of sexual activity with child

Maybe this is the time period Lucy was living at her grandmother's.

 

[Tortoise]

Lucy's mother's partner, Richard Elmes, told the court she was a "lovely, bubbly, bright, intelligent" girl who took medication for autism.

Schoolgirl stabbed to death 'while immobile'

A report from last week - first I've heard of this.