Man found guilty of murder of Liverpool John Moores student in Shropshire
Stephen McHugh will be sentenced on Friday for the killing of 22 year old Rebecca Steer
A man has been convicted of murdering a Liverpool John Moores student by using his car as a weapon to drive into a crowd of pedestrians in Shropshire.
22-year-old Rebecca Steer was killed after being dragged under a car driven by Stephen McHugh in Oswestry last October.
The 28-year-old, originally from Fazakerley in Liverpool, told the court he had drunk six beers and 10 double shots of spirits, and taken up to seven lines of cocaine, before his Volvo mounted a footpath outside a takeaway.
Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty to murder, but admitted manslaughter.
Jurors at Stafford Crown Court deliberated for more than eight-and-a-half hours over three days before convicting McHugh by majority 11-1 verdicts of murder and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
McHugh swore as he was found guilty of murder and walked quickly out of the dock before a verdict was returned on the second charge.
He's due to be sentenced on Friday.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Bellamy, said: “This was a horrendous attack which tragically robbed an innocent young woman of her life while she was enjoying a night out with friends.
“I’m pleased that justice has been done today for Rebecca and my thoughts remain with her family. I pay tribute to the dignified way that they have conducted themselves throughout the trial, displaying venerable strength and resilience in listening to the contemptable and narcissistic behaviour of McHugh who continually lied throughout the trial in a desperate attempt to escape justice.
“I am grateful that the Jury saw through his web of lies and convicted him on the evidence presented to them by the exceptional Prosecution team of Mr Hegarty and Mr Williams.”
“This was an incredibly unusual attack, particularly for a small place like Oswestry, and understandably it shook the town to the core. I’d like thank the local community for their support during this investigation, which has been invaluable in securing today’s verdict.
“I’d also like to thank my team, who worked tirelessly on this case to ensure we were able to deliver justice for Rebecca.”
Rebecca’s family have paid tribute to her and thanked those who worked on the case: “Firstly, we would like to say thank you to everyone who has worked so hard on this case to try get justice served.
“All the police, from DCI Mark Bellamy and all his incredible team to prosecution team of Mr Hegarty, Mr Williams and their team, everyone has worked tirelessly, and we will always appreciate their efforts.
“We would also like to thank everyone that has helped and supported us through this, we would like to assure you we will always be grateful.
“Listening and seeing the things we have had to during the trial has been very painful but necessary. Hopefully now we can try to start to heal.
“Rebecca Adelaide Steer, Becca to us, Becky to everyone else was a pure joy to have as a daughter/sister and we all feel lucky to have had her in our lives, but we will always feel robbed.
“So many people have said how they feel so sorry for us and that is only natural, and we are totally humbled by it, but the person people should be feeling sorry for is not us at all, it's Becca. We all get to live a life, but through no fault of her own whatsoever, her life was taken from her by a few seconds of someone else's stupidity.
“Her 13-year-old sister Kimberley summed it up perfectly in her letter to Becca at her funeral, she said: 'Becca was doing so well in life, and some stupid idiot stole her away from us'.
“Becca was and always will be 22 in our hearts, beautiful and amazing.”