Stepfather of Lucy McHugh, 13, says he was ‘weirded out’ by what Stephen Nicholson said

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The stepfather of the schoolgirl Lucy McHugh has told a jury that the man accused of her murder tried to console him after her body was found but seemed to know details of the stabbing scene before they were made public.

Winchester crown court also heard that the 13-year-old victim suffered “catastrophic bleeding” after being stabbed and slashed 27 times.

Richard Elmes, who is the partner of Lucy’s mother Stacey White, said the alleged killer, Stephen Nicholson, called him at 11.04am on 26 July last year, the morning Lucy’s body was found. Elmes told the court: “He was trying to console me over the phone.”

Elmes said Nicholson, 25, called him again about an hour later, and added: “He sounded depressed … he didn’t sound himself, it just sounded dark.”

The witness said he called Nicholson, who had been his best friend, at 3pm to tell him Lucy’s death had been confirmed, and he spoke to him again that night.

He said Nicholson, a carer and tattooist, “weirded” him out because he talked about where her body had been found, which had not yet been published by the media.

Elmes said that after Lucy had failed to return home by her normal time of 7.30pm on 25 July, her mother began searching for her. He added: “It was complete panic, everyone was distraught.”

He said a note was found that had gone through their washing machine entitled “Abuse”. Elmes read out the phrase from the mostly illegible note: “Walk away from my sex with him, forced me back in.”

The court has been told that Nicholson allegedly sexually abused Lucy while he was lodging at her family home in Southampton.

Elmes said that he believed Lucy had a “schoolgirl crush” on Nicholson and, in May 2018, he walked in on “Lucy giving him a hug” before the defendant pushed her away.

The witness said that on 23 July during a row between Nicholson and Lucy, she shouted at the defendant: “I have got a hold on you anyway.” Elmes said: “I told him that basically he had to grab his stuff up and he had to leave.”

Dr Basil Purdue, a pathologist, told the court that Lucy’s death was caused by 11 stab wounds to the right of her neck caused by a knife at least 7cm long.

Purdue said: “The cause of her death was catastrophic bleeding from a series of 11 injuries to the right side of the neck. This would have been rapidly followed by further sharp injuries to the face, neck, chest and lower forearms.”

He added that one injury to Lucy’s left wrist area, appeared as if it could have been inflicted deliberately in a bid “to divert suspicions away from homicide”.

The trial has heard that the defendant told police that Lucy had sent him a message saying she was pregnant but Purdue said blood tests showed she was not.

Nicholson is charged with Lucy’s murder as well as three counts of rape against her when she was aged 12. He also faces two charges of sexual activity with a child against Lucy on multiple occasions when she was aged 13.

In addition, Nicholson is also charged with sexual activity with a child in relation to another girl aged 14 in 2012.

The defendant denies the charges and the trial continues.