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

  • #761
  • #762
Thanks Alyce.

I think there are two pieces of evidence that might tip this into guilty. One is the fibres from the hoodie being inside his coat. The other is being at Tanner's Brook which is where the clothes were dumped, and not saying he went there in his first police interview. Someone would have had to have been following him about, but he was carrying a bag. A third and fourth might be Lucy asking to see him and the claimed pregnancy giving him motive, and him just happening to be sick from work but also out and about at Tesco that morning.

Problem is Lucy didn't create her new Facebook account until the evening before, which was when she messaged him about meeting. He was already off sick and ordering new trainers. Unless it was him that asked to meet her.
 
  • #763
@Tortoise you are really on top of this! Respect! I felt quite lost with all the clothes and back and forth, burning stuff etc. :rolleyes:
 
  • #764
I wonder if he told her to create the new Facebook account so he could message her, telling her it was to keep their messages private from SW. All part of a plan so that he could ask her to meet him.
 
  • #765
Thanks Alyce.

I think there are two pieces of evidence that might tip this into guilty. One is the fibres from the hoodie being inside his coat. The other is being at Tanner's Brook which is where the clothes were dumped, and not saying he went there in his first police interview. Someone would have had to have been following him about, but he was carrying a bag. A third and fourth might be Lucy asking to see him and the claimed pregnancy giving him motive, and him just happening to be sick from work but also out and about at Tesco that morning.

Problem is Lucy didn't create her new Facebook account until the evening before, which was when she messaged him about meeting. He was already off sick and ordering new trainers. Unless it was him that asked to meet her.

The hoodie fibres are the strongest thing they have imo. Defence could argue that Lucy had worn the hoodie previously but that would not explain fibres on her body that day. SN is denying the hoodie belongs to him ( far as I can make out from the limited testimony we have heard ) so it is harder for him/defence to explain how the fibres got inside his jacket.
Tanners Brook I think could be explained by him saying it was a drug deal and he didn't want to compromise himself initially.
The only FB info we have ( so it seems ) is that provided in testimony by SN, so it is his word against no one's that Lucy messaged him and not the other way round.
He went off sick on the Tuesday so I think it's reasonable to say he might have been feeling better by the Wednesday - although I wouldn't personally recommend a large bottle of Dr Pepper if I were just getting over a tummy bug. But that's just me and he could say it was for his friend.
With the trainers - most care homes have fairly strict rules re footwear and colour so I can accept his explanation that he needed a new black pair of trainers as it was not acceptable to wear his grey ones.
What doesn't quite fit for me is that he burns the grey pair as soon as he gets the new black pair - because, strangely, he has also managed to split the grey pair, just like he did with his old black pair.
 
  • #766
James Robinson‏ @dailyechojames 20m20 minutes ago

Yesterday, the prosecution in the Lucy McHugh murder trial gave a closing speech. Today, Stephen Nicholson's defence barrister is set to present his closing speech. Jury members are expected to begin deliberations tomorrow morning:
 
  • #767
10:21am

The court rises as the judge walks in. Nicholson's defence barrister, James Newton-Price, begins his closing speech.

10:22am

He begins by describing Lucy's death as a "shocking and dreadful event".

10:23am

Mr Newton-Price tells the jury that it is normal to feel "anger and emotion" over the death of a 13-year-old girl.

10:24am

But he asks them to put emotion aside and asks them to make a "cool, rational and unemotional assessment of the evidence as it stands."

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 
  • #768
10:28am

Mr Newton-Price sets out a brief outline of his speech to the jury. He mentions specific points including DNA evidence and the discovery of a bag of blood-covered clothing, with links to Nicholson and Lucy. He adds that he will invite the jury to "look at what evidence does not quite fit with the theory put forward by the prosecution".

10:32am

He begins talking about the allegation made against Nicholson by a girl who claimed she had sex with Nicholson when she was 14.

10:32am

Mr Newton-Price says it amounts to "her word against his (Nicholson's)".

10:33am

He also tells the jury members that the girl's "story has changed in important details".

10:35am

Mr Newton-Price said the incident took place more than six years ago, making it impossible to check evidence, including CCTV and work rotas. He said: "Nothing can be checked out now."

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 
  • #769
  • #770
10:40am

Talking about the prosecution's suggestion that the alleged incident showed Nicholson had an interest in underage girls, he tells the jury: "The prosecution, I would submit, are taking somewhat of a nudge-nudge-wink-wink approach. We would submit that is a dangerous approach."

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 
  • #771
  • #772
  • #773
  • #774
10:50am

Speaking about the letters found in Lucy's parent's room, he said: "I find it extraordinary that Richard Elmes denies knowledge or seeing any notes of this kind when these were found in a bedside cabinet in his room."

10:51am

Mr Newton-Price tells the jury the allegations of rape by Nicholson against Lucy "stand or fall on whether you are sure what's said in these letters is true".

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 
  • #775
Speaking about the letters found in Lucy's parent's room, he said: "I find it extraordinary that Richard Elmes denies knowledge or seeing any notes of this kind when these were found in a bedside cabinet in his room."

Ah here we go. I wonder how far he will go in his attempt to create reasonable doubt. Or will he also just employ a "nudge nudge wink wink" approach?
 
  • #776
10:58am

Mr Newton-Price tells the jury: "Is it so impossible to suggest these writings are the imagination or fantasy of an adolescent young woman?"

He adds: "Is that such a fanciful suggestion?"

11:01am

Mr Newton-Price speaks about Nicholson giving evidence. He said he may have come across as "immature" and "not very discreet".

He said Nicholson's description to the jury of an injury relating to his intimate piercing as "cringeworthy".

11:02am

He suggests to the jury that Lucy may have picked up on that. He said that Lucy also looked at Nicholson's Facebook profile. He said Nicholson had shared information about his intimate piercing on Facebook.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 
  • #777
Ah here we go. I wonder how far he will go in his attempt to create reasonable doubt. Or will he also just employ a "nudge nudge wink wink" approach?
:D That's true
 
  • #778
11:03am

Mr Newton-Price now talks about Nicholson's complaints to Lucy's parents about Lucy's behaviour towards him, including suggestions she had a crush on Nicholson.

11:06am

He said: "If there was an intimate sexual relationship going on then why would he complain so loudly and so continuously about the attention she was giving him?

He adds: "If there was a relationship going surely he would want to keep it quiet, not draw attention to it."

11:07am

Mr Newton-Price now talks about a number of claims that Lucy made to school friends. These include claims that she was pregnant, claims she had tattoos and claims she had an abortion. He also mentions claims Lucy made that "Stephen" was her boyfriend.

11:08am

He describes it as "classic teenage attention-seeking".

11:10am

Mr Newton-Price adds: "The pathologist said she was not pregnant and she did not have any tattoos."

He adds: "We submit that many of these claims, if not all of them, are things that provably did not happen."

11:12am

He adds: "Writing things and saying things to friends does not make things true. That's all the prosecution's case rests on, those notes."

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 
  • #779
11:17am

Mr Newton-Price talks about claims made by a schoolfriend of Lucy that she had told her about a time a drunk and high Nicholson had tried to get into her room at night and she had barricaded herself in her room.

11:19am

He said there were "major problems with that story", including that it had taken place at night with other people in the house. He said the prosecution could see it as a "product Lucy's imagination".

11:20am

Mr Newton-Price said Lucy was "desperate for attention".

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 
  • #780
11:28am

Mr Newton-Price refers to yesterday's closing speech by the prosecution. He said: "The prosecution says you can be sure, but I have concerns."

11:30am

He now moves to motive. He said that in yesterday's speech, the prosecution alleged Nicholson had killed Lucy to "silence her" after she had made a threat to tell people she was pregnant.

11:32am

He said that Lucy had been "telling people for months" that she was pregnant. He said: "Really, she had been saying that kind of thing to anyone who would listen to her for months. It was nothing new Lucy saying these things."

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: Defence to make closing speech today
 

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
130
Guests online
3,259
Total visitors
3,389

Forum statistics

Threads
632,575
Messages
18,628,618
Members
243,198
Latest member
ghghhh13
Back
Top