A 26-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering his former girlfriend in a "frenzied" knife attack, the BBC reports.
Joshua Stimpson met 23-year-old student Molly McLaren on Tinder in July 2016, and the pair began dating. But when, the following year, Molly broke up with Stimpson, he took it very badly. The 26-year-old began stalking his former girlfriend, posting messages on her Facebook page insinuating she had been taking drugs, and he was even warned twice by police to stay away from Molly.
But two weeks later, on 29 June 2017, things escalated and Stimpson brutally murdered Molly in her car, parked in the Dockside shopping centre in Chatham, Kent. Joshua was yesterday jailed after being found guilty of murder at Maidstone Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to diminished responsibility manslaughter, arguing he had a personality disorder, but denied murder.
The jury took just four hours to convict him of murder, denying his manslaughter plea, and he will now serve a minimum of 26 years in prison for what Judge Adele Williams called "a cruel, calculated and cowardly act."
During Stimpson's trial the court heard how, on the day of the murder, he turned up and began working out next to Molly in the gym. CCTV footage showed the killer walking into the exercise room with a bag it later emerged contained two knives and pickaxe - all of which he used to kill his ex-girlfriend.
Shortly before the violent murder, in which Molly was stabbed 75 times, the 23-year-old texted her mother, Joanne McLaren, saying: "Mum he’s turned up at the gym and come next to me".
In the moments leading up to her death, Molly also messaged her friend Amy Lee about Joshua's arrival at the gym. Not knowing her friend was being brutally attacked at the time, Amy responded: "He has no sense of what is normal. He is a freak. Just stay away from him."
Despite the efforts of passer-by Benjamin Morton to save Molly, the Guardian reports, she died as a result of her extensive injuries.
Convicting Joshua Stimpson, Judge Adele Williams condemned him for his "wickedness".
"You slit her throat while repeatedly stabbing her," she said. "You were determined to punish her for finishing with you. You were seeking revenge."
The judge continued: "You are a highly-dangerous young man and you will pose a very considerable risk to women for a very considerable period in the future."
It emerged in court that Stimpson had a history of stalking two previous girlfriends.
Molly's friends and family are now raising money in her memory to support those with eating disorders, something Molly herself suffered with. Find out how to donate here.
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Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. news, features and health. The route to her heart is a simple combination of pasta and cheese (somewhat ironic considering the whole health writing thing), and she finds it difficult to commit to TV series so currently has about 14 different ones on the go.
