GUILTY UK - Lucy McHugh, 13, murdered,, Southampton, 25 July 2018

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Not getting a great opinion of any of the adults closely involved here, admittedly what we see is only highlights but still, so far it seems like not everything we hear adds up, and Lucy was the scapegoat for the troubles in the home. She may well have caused much of it, teenagers can be volatile (I was a total pain at that age!), but it's not sounding much like they looked into possible reasons for her behaviour, or seriously considered removing the lodger who was clearly a focus of the troubles.

(Edit: the above is NOT meant to be victim-unfriendly in case it comes across that way; I mean her behaviour might have caused the arguments we hear about, however it is very likely there was an underlying cause for her behaviour which is not her fault; most likely, the lodger...)

Well done to the teachers in both schools, they did the right thing, just a shame social services let them down. I know it's a fine line for them but this will clearly be another "if only" case where opportunities were obviously missed.
 
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Kasmeer said:
Not getting a great opinion of any of the adults closely involved here, admittedly what we see is only highlights but still, so far it seems like not everything we hear adds up, and Lucy was the scapegoat for the troubles in the home. She may well have caused much of it, teenagers can be volatile (I was a total pain at that age!), but it's not sounding much like they looked into possible reasons for her behaviour, or seriously considered removing the lodger who was clearly a focus of the troubles.

(Edit: the above is NOT meant to be victim-unfriendly in case it comes across that way; I mean her behaviour might have caused the arguments we hear about, however it is very likely there was an underlying cause for her behaviour which is not her fault; most likely, the lodger...)

Well done to the teachers in both schools, they did the right thing, just a shame social services let them down. I know it's a fine line for them but this will clearly be another "if only" case where opportunities were obviously missed.
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I largely agree but I do feel a bit bad for Social Services in cases like this as we can all be experts with the benefit of hindsight. They're also in a lose/lose situation as if they don't act you get cases like this and if they do act they get nothing but abuse about how wrong it is.

From what we've heard, it seems to me like Social Services started an investigation of some sort and mum blew them off and just said it was Lucy making stuff up because she had a crush on the lodger. I could certainly buy that if I was social services as that's what teenagers are like. In my day in the early 00's everyone was trying to be the "coolest" by lying about having sex/taking drugs and alcohol/having older boyfriends and girlfriends etc. I can't imagine it's changed these days.

I do feel incredibly sad about the fact that multiple men having access to her without her mum there is a red flag. What a sad world we live in these days where something like that causes concern!
 
Legally Bland said:
Bit more from one of the teachers which I don't think was reported.
Ms Wright said she decided to contact the multi-agency safeguarding hub because "I thought there were a lot of men with access to her without mum in the house".
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'No action' over 'vulnerable' teen victim alert
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Different source, but this precedes the above comment:
Emma Wright, the safeguarding lead at St Anne's Catholic School in Southampton, told Winchester Crown Court that Lucy, a Year Seven pupil, had been taken out of class for using her mobile phone in June 2017.

Ms Wright said: "She told me she was using her phone to Snapchat someone called Stephen about school."

She said that she arranged for a meeting with Lucy's mother, Stacey White, who did not turn up.

Ms Wright said on another occasion in June, Lucy had her phone confiscated again.

She said that she had been told by another pupil that Lucy had been using it to message her boyfriend.

Ms Wright said that Lucy told her that in the evening she was at home with her mother's partner, Richard Elmes, Stephen Nicholson and his brother.
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Court told social services took no further action over concerns for murdered schoolgirl Lucy McHugh
 
A few more details from yesterday's evidence from Ms Wright ( St Annes school )



Ms Wright said she spoke to Ms White and said: “Mum didn’t seem surprised, mum told me she tracks all of Lucy’s messages and mum seemed unconcerned.”

She added: “Mum was quite confrontational, was very cross, she was very, very unhappy that we had contacted social services about Stephen.

“Mum had contacted school on a number of occasions about wanting Lucy to move school.”

Ms Wright also said that concerns were raised about Lucy coming to school without lunch, with her spending £5 on sweets instead.


Court told social services took no further action as schoolgirl concerns raised - Care Appointments
 
10:34am

The trial of Stephen Nicholson, 25, of no fixed address, continues today.

He is accused of murdering Lucy McHugh, whose body was found in a wooded area of Southampton Sports Centre in July last year.

Nicholson denies murder.

He also denies two allegations of sexual activity with a child against Lucy on multiple occasions and denies sexual activity with a child in relation to another girl aged 14.


10:38am

Yesterday, Lucy's mother's partner Richard Elmes was cross-examined. The court also heard from school leaders from two of Lucy's former schools, who said they referred Lucy's alleged "sexual relationship" with Nicholson to social services, who took no further action.

10:40am

Rowan Crease now takes to the witness box. She is to be cross-examined by Nicholson's defence barrister James Newton-Price QC.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today
 
10:42am

Mr Newton-Price asks Ms Crease about how she met Nicholson. She says she met Nicholson while he had a tattoo shop in Shirley and she was a customer. The pair became friends.


10:43am

Ms Crease tells the court that Nicholson introduced her to Lucy's family.


10:44am

She is asked about how she described Lucy yesterday in evidence. She confirms she described Lucy as "like an extreme version of a teenage girl" and that she "assumed Lucy had a crush" on Nicholson.


10:48am

Ms Crease is asked if she had any concerns about Nicholson's behaviour. She said: "I thought his behaviour was childish at times, but I'm twice his age."

10:51am

Ms Crease said Nicholson stayed at her home at the weekend, from Friday, July 21, in order to give Lucy's family space. She is asked if he was a "perfect house-guest". She said "yes". She said he was later "rude" when he went out that Saturday, despite them arranging a sociable evening in.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today
 
Alyce said:
A few more details from yesterday's evidence from Ms Wright ( St Annes school )



Ms Wright said she spoke to Ms White and said: “Mum didn’t seem surprised, mum told me she tracks all of Lucy’s messages and mum seemed unconcerned.”

She added: “Mum was quite confrontational, was very cross, she was very, very unhappy that we had contacted social services about Stephen.

“Mum had contacted school on a number of occasions about wanting Lucy to move school.”

Ms Wright also said that concerns were raised about Lucy coming to school without lunch, with her spending £5 on sweets instead.


Court told social services took no further action as schoolgirl concerns raised - Care Appointments
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Is it even possible for Stacey to be tracking Lucy's messages if she was using SnapChat as the school said she was?
 
10:52am

Mr Newton-Price asked if Nicholson was a "heavy cannabis user". She confirms he was. She said: "He would smoke it throughout the day and function."


10:53am

She asks about where Nicholson's cannabis was kept. She tells the court she thinks it was in his room at Lucy's family's house. She said Nicholson had complained that he believed some of his cannabis had gone missing.


10:58am

Mr Newton-Price refers the jury a series of text messages. Ms Crease is asked if there was tension in the house regarding Lucy being upset about Nicholson keeping cannabis in the house. She says: "From that conversation yes, but I don't recall that conversation now."


11:09am

Mr Newton-Price asks about Lucy's mother's partner Richard Elmes burning the letter. He asks Ms Crease if it seemed like an "overreaction". She replies: "Richard likes to burn things, which personally I think is rediculous anyway but I know he does that."



11:02am

Mr Newton-Price asks Ms Crease about the day of Lucy's disappearance (July 25). She said she helped Lucy's mother Stacey to search Lucy's room to try and find clues to her whereabouts. He refers her to the discovery of a bank letter, addressed to Nicholson, found in Lucy's room.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today
 
I think they must have been doing updates but not showing them on the Echo website for some reason. The article wasn't published till after 11.
________________

11:15am

Mr Newton-Price asks why Ms Crease did not tell the police about the letter being destroyed. She tells the court she "lied" to the police about the letter, which she said she "regrets". She describes it as "probably the worst thing she has done in her life". She tells the court she "panicked" and believed telling the police would have "taken police away from the right direction" in the case. She said she later told the police about the letter being burned.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today
 
Legally Bland said:
11:15am

Mr Newton-Price asks why Ms Crease did not tell the police about the letter being destroyed. She tells the court she "lied" to the police about the letter, which she said she "regrets". She describes it as "probably the worst thing she has done in her life". She tells the court she "panicked" and believed telling the police would have "taken police away from the right direction" in the case. She said she later told the police about the letter being burned.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today
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The letter she didn't read may have taken police in the wrong direction?


ETA: Maybe that's referring to the pin code letter.
 
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11:22am

Mr Newton-Price asks about the letter, supposedly written by Lucy, which was found in December in a box of lighters in a draw used by Richard


11:23am

Ms Crease said she thought the letter said "do not show mum and Richard" and "do not send nudes (naked photographs)".

11:24am

Mr Newton-Price tells the court the letter does not contain the words "do not send nudes" and asks Ms Crease if she may have seen that in another letter, supposedly written by Lucy. She says "no".

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial continues today
 
Legally Bland said:
The letter she didn't read may have taken police in the wrong direction?
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I think, if I'm following correctly, she's referring to the bank letter he burned on the night Lucy was missing. Caught on neighbour's CCTV.

Then there was the letter they found in December when they were searching for RE's passport.
 
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