Lucy McHugh: Stephen Nicholson guilty of murder and rape

A lodger who killed a 13-year-old girl to stop her from exposing him as a sex abuser has been found guilty of her rape and murder.

Stephen Nicholson, 25, stabbed Lucy McHugh in a "vicious" attack near Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre.

He first raped Lucy, then aged 12, while living at her home, and abused her before her death in July last year.

Jurors at Winchester Crown Court found him guilty of three charges of raping Lucy.

He was also convicted of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl in 2012, who he had taken to the same woodland where Lucy was found dead years later.

Nicholson, who showed no emotion when the verdicts were delivered, will be sentenced on Friday.

Jurors heard he moved into the family home in 2017 after being invited by long-time friend Richard Elmes, who was the partner of Lucy's mother Stacey White.

Nicholson first raped Lucy in May of that year and on two further occasions over the coming weeks.

The trial heard Lucy would later describe him to friends as her "boyfriend".

Tensions between the pair rose, culminating in a "big argument" a few days before her death.

Nicholson told police Lucy sent him a message the night before her murder, saying she was pregnant.

She left her home at about 09:00 BST the next day, and jurors saw CCTV footage of her walking to the sports centre where she would meet her death at the hands of Nicholson.

After luring her to woodland nearby, he stabbed her 11 times in the neck in a "vicious" and "calculated" attack. It was later found Lucy was not pregnant.

Nicholson was linked to the murder via DNA evidence found on clothing, described by prosecutors as his "murder kit", discarded in woodland about a mile from the murder scene.

Det Supt Paul Barton, of Hampshire Police, said Nicholson had "taken full advantage" of Lucy's family after they "provided a roof over his head".

"He has targeted Lucy, taken advantage of her and when she wanted a relationship with him, he has taken the decision to silence her once and for all by brutally killing her," he said.

Speaking outside court, Lucy's father Andy McHugh said: "He stole her life away. I'm very happy with the verdict.

"It's been very tough but it's a weight off my shoulders and now I can start the grieving process."

Det Insp Lee Macarthur read a statement on behalf of Lucy's mother, thanking all those who "helped to get justice for my precious daughter."