Zoe Rider and Nicola Lethbridge have been found guilty of robbery and murder
“Dirty, f****** wrong ‘un,” exclaimed one.cutting off his f****** balls. The scissors and knife are missing; where are they? Steve, are you not molesting young females, little f****** n****?”
One of the women could be seen sporting cream joggers in the video. When they were subsequently identified, it was discovered that the waistband had both Lethbridge’s and Rider’s DNA, along with a tiny amount of Stephen’s blood.
Stephen, 60, was described as a “collector” by prosecutor Andrew O’Byrne KC, who testified in court that he lived alone at his Sheffield property on Fraser Drive. He said that on the day of his murder, he had visited a café and had a conversation with the familiar proprietor. It was said that the woman was worried about Stephen since he appeared to be “running short of money”.
Mr O-Byrne stated: “During the course of the conversation, he complained he wasn’t getting much sleep because people in his block were making a lot of noise and disturbing him.” It was reported that the woman offered Stephen £55 and that he accepted it after initially refusing.
On his way home, Stephen allegedly set off a security camera, but at 11:20 p.m. that same evening, he pressed a button on a lanyard that sent off an alarm meant to help those with medical problems. “He spoke to an operator and asked for assistance,” stated Mr. O’Byrne. He informed them that he was bleeding and had been attacked.”
According to the court, Stephen was admitted to the hospital but passed away on August 11. A pathologist who performed a post-mortem examination on Stephen’s remains, according to Mr. O’Byrne, stated that he “died as a consequence of what he describes as a sustained and blunt-force physical assault and haemorrhage of the skull”.
Stephen allegedly suffered bruises to his ear, eyes, cheeks, and lips in addition to damage to his head and neck. Additionally, he had bruises on his chest that were “probably caused by kicks.” The attack on Mr. O’Byrne was characterised as “sadistic”.
Lethbridge and Rider turned against one another during the trial, accusing the other. Following the decision, South Yorkshire Police Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward, who was in charge of the inquiry, stated: “Stephen was described as a quiet man.” Despite having a small group of close pals, he kept to himself and carried on with his company. His death was merciless, and he didn’t harm or cause any issues for anyone.
In addition to physically abusing and torturing Stephen mentally, Lethbridge and Rider also humiliated him by falsely accusing him of being a paedophile, which was plainly untrue. The jury’s decision and the fact that these two will now serve a sizable sentence in jail delight me.
“The community has been incredibly supportive of our inquiry, and I want to express my gratitude to individuals who bravely spoke out against local criminals and provided evidence and witness testimony. Stephen has received justice thanks to the public’s support, my team’s diligent officers, and other law enforcement personnel.
“This remains a sad day because it is another reminder for everyone how violence can quickly end a life too soon, which impacts greatly on all those involved and leaves family and friends with pain and holes in their lives,” the statement reads, “even though the guilty verdicts bring comfort that justice has been served.”
On June 5, Lethbridge and Rider will be sentenced.
