Jury at Leeds crown court finds pair guilty of ‘sustained and brutal’ attack in late 2014, when they were 13 and 14

Two teenage girls who beat a woman to death in her home in a “sustained and brutal attack” before posting mocking images on Snapchat face life in prison after being convicted of her murder.

The girls sobbed uncontrollably as the jury delivered its verdict following three hours and six minutes of deliberations at the end of an eight-week trial at Leeds crown court.

The pair were led out of the dock with their faces in their hands and could be heard crying as they left. They will be sentenced on Thursday, and face life sentences.

Wrightson, who was described as vulnerable, had befriended the two young girls, buying them alcohol and sweets from the local shop. The girls, aged 13 and 14 at the time, made Wrightson plead for her life as they “forcibly restrained” her and subjected her to an assault that killed her.

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They used a number of items in the attack, including a wooden stick studded with screws, a coffee table, a kettle and a television. Wrightson’s body was found to have more than 100 injuries.

Experts said one of the weapons used during the prolonged attack must have been swung overhead, because blood was found on the ceiling.

Both girls, now 15 and who cannot be named, denied the murder. The older of the two admitted manslaughter and the other said she did not encourage or take part in the violence.

Both girls were accompanied by an intermediary throughout the trial to help them to understand the court process.

Wrightson was murdered at her home in Stephen Street, near the centre of Hartlepool, County Durham, in an attack that could have begun as early as 7.30pm on 8 December 2014, and could have ended as late as 2.56am.

Her body was found the next day by her landlord, John Meggison. She was slouched on her sofa in darkness and had a severely bloodied face.

Forensic scientists told the jury that blows had been struck in 12 separate areas in the living room during the assault. Wrightson, 39, was then subjected to “further indignities” as she lay unconscious and motionless on her sofa.

The jury was told that after the attack, the girls, who had both been reported as missing by their care workers, called the police to get a lift home. The girls sat laughing and joking in the back of the police van, and were described as having been in high spirits.

They posted mocking pictures to Snapchat captioned: “Me and [name] in the back of the bizzie van again.”

The next day, as the net began to close on the pair, one of them told a friend: “I might be getting sent down,” the jury was told.

Both girls were in local authority care at the time of the murder. They had formed an intense relationship with each other and both had difficult relationships with their mothers, the court heard.

Wrightson, who was an alcoholic, would regularly purchase alcohol and cigarettes for teenagers in Stephen Street, described as a “hotspot for underage drinking”. Friends of Wrightson had become concerned about the number of children who had begun to call on her.

On the night of the murder, the defendants had both repeatedly been to Wrightson’s house and were eventually let in just after 7.30pm. Wrightson was then spotted on CCTV going to the local shop to buy a bottle of cider and chocolate, while the two girls remained in her house. They stayed there for three-and-a-half hours before leaving at just after 11pm, and then returned again at 2am. They finally left the house at just after 4am.

The court heard that at 9pm one of the girls posted a photograph from inside Wrightson’s home to Snapchat. The photograph showed the two defendants smiling with Wrightson in the background with marks on her face.

The girls took more selfies in the house at about 10.30pm showing them drinking cider, but they did not show Wrightson again. A Facebook call was made from the house, during which the defendants were heard laughing and encouraging each other to attack Wrightson. They were heard saying: “Go on, [name of older girl]. Smash her head in. Bray her. Fucking kill her.”

The defendants left the house just after 11pm to meet a friend who questioned why they had bloodstains on their clothes.

The following day, as a local newspaper reported Wrightson’s death, the girls told friends and care workers they had attacked her after she had threatened them with a knife.

The jury heard that they had “stamped all over her head” as she pleaded with them saying: “Please don’t. Stop. I’m scared.” The girls continued their assault.

Wrightson was described as being house-proud, despite being known in her local community as an alcoholic who was in regular contact with the police and social services.

Speaking after the verdict, Wrightson’s family said she “had touched the lives of so many people”. They said: “It’s true that Angela (or Angie as she was known to us all) led a troubled and at times chaotic lifestyle. And as a family we were not as close as we ought to have been. The chance to put that right has been taken away from us.

“Angie was attacked and brutally murdered in her own home, a place where we all have the right to feel safe. Listening to the details of her injuries and of her final moments has been a harrowing experience and something which will continue to haunt us each and every day.

“No sentence, regardless of its severity, will ever bring Angie back. The two girls responsible will one day be women themselves, free to live their lives and perhaps have children of their own. A right which was taken from Angie.

“We would like to thank the police and the prosecution team for their compassion and continued support throughout this difficult time. We’d also like to thank those people who gave evidence and spoke on Angie’s behalf in court.

“And if any positive can be taken from this experience it is the kindness displayed by those who knew Angie best. Angie’s infectious personality touched the hearts of so many people and it is those fond memories which we continue to cherish as we attempt to move forward.”

• This article was amended on 6 April 2016. An earlier version referred to carers rather than care workers.

