Quyen Ngoc Nguyen was said to let properties that were used to grow cannabis

Two handymen raped a mother and burnt her alive before taking a grinning selfie as they drove away from her blazing body, a court has been told.

Stephen Unwin, 40, and William McFall, 51, sent social media messages to each other in the three weeks before their alleged five-hour attack on Quyen Ngoc Nguyen, 28, a Vietnamese nail technician, carried out at Unwin’s home.

Ms Nguyen was said to lead a double life letting properties that were used to grow cannabis. It is alleged that the defendants were employed to repair the flats after a harvest but were instead stealing the crops to sell themselves.

Jamie Hill, QC, for the prosecution at Newcastle crown court, said: “The prosecution say that the motive for this killing