Mother of murdered schoolgirl recalls moment she identified her body

Mother of schoolgirl Lucy McHugh, 13, who was murdered by paedophile lodger recalls the harrowing moment she identified her daughter’s body – and says there’s a ‘void’ in her home that will never be filled

• Stacey White, 31, from Southampton, lost daughter Lucy on July 25 last year
• Teenager was stabbed nearly 30 times by paedophile Stephen Nicholson, 25
• Nicholson was a lodger in Stacey’s home and abused Lucy from the age 12
• Lured her to the woods and murdered her after she told him she was pregnant
• Now Stacey says she’s glad Nicholson is jailed for life but it won’t bring Lucy back

The grieving mother of murdered schoolgirl Lucy McHugh has recalled the harrowing moment she had to identify her 13-year-old daughter’s body.

Stacey White, 31, from Southampton, said the teenager’s death on July 25 last year has left a ‘void’ in their home that will ‘never be filled’.

Lucy was killed by paedophile Stephen Nicholson, 25, a tattoo artist, who had been abusing her while a lodger in her house. 

He first raped Lucy when she was just 12, and when she sent him a text message falsely claiming she was pregnant, he lured her to the woods and stabbed her 27 times in an ‘execution style’ murder because he feared she would expose him. 

Stacey White, 31, from Southampton, said her daughter Lucy McHugh’s death on July 25 last year has left a ‘void’ in their home that will ‘never be filled’

Lucy was killed by paedophile Stephen Nicholson, 25, a tattoo artist, who had been abusing her while a lodger in her home

Stacey said the morning after Lucy went missing the police arrived and told her they’d found a body matching her description.

Speaking to Take a Break magazine, she recalled how she was taken to identify her daughter.

‘The girl lying there with a dark cover pulled up to her chin was my 13-year-old daughter,’ she said. ‘Only she was so silent and still – it wasn’t like her at all.

‘I broke down in tears as I told her, “You are so loved and missed. You always will be.”‘

Stacey and her partner Richard Elmes, Lucy’s stepfather, who was school friends with Nicholson, agreed to let him stay with them after he admitted he was having problems with his rent.

Lucy’s diary entries revealed she and Nicholson had engaged in a sexual relationship which started when she was 12

She told how Lucy got on ‘fine’ with Nicholson until one evening, a year later, he snapped at her and told her to get out of his way.

Furious by the way he’d spoken to her daughter, Stacey and Richard decided Nicholson could only stay when Lucy was round at her grandparents’.

But months later Stacey told how she and Richard walked in to find Nicholson screaming at Lucy, and ordered him to leave and not return.

Stephen Nicholson was jailed on July 18 for a minimum of 33 years

A few days later Stacey agreed to let Lucy go round to a friend’s house – but became concerned when she didn’t come home.

Knowing her daughter’s phone was broken she posted a message on Lucy’s Facebook, but nobody had seen her.

When Stacey called the police they tried to access her social media accounts but couldn’t because her passwords had been changed. 

Stacey later condemned Facebook, accusing them of denying her justice after police were forced to apply to American judges for a court order demanding that it hand over the information, which they did the day her killer’s trial was due to start. 

The night Lucy went missing, Stacey told how Nicholson texted her saying: ‘I hope they find her safe. Keep your chin up and stay positive.’

Days later Nicholson was arrested, as Lucy’s diary entries revealed they’d had a sexual relationship which started when she was 12.

Winchester Crown Court heard Nicholson, who had an ‘interest in underage sex’ encouraged and exploited Lucy’s crush on him.

It was also stated that Lucy had tried to tell her mother about her relationship with Nicholson, a father-of-one, but she was dismissed and told to ‘get back to her fantasy land.’ 

The night Lucy went missing, Stacey, pictured outside court during the trial, told how Nicholson texted her saying: ‘I hope they find her safe. Keep your chin up and stay positive’

Harrowing diary entries and notes written by the ‘bright, bubbly and intelligent’ schoolgirl showed she was infatuated with Nicholson, who was twice her age, when their ‘secret sexual relationship’ started.

But heartbreaking evidence from a school friend revealed Lucy quickly became terrified of him, while revealing no one would believe her complaints about him.

In her diary Lucy described how Nicholson took her virginity after the pair played a video game together at her home, and detailed how she locked herself in the bathroom to avoid having sex with him.

Throughout his trial Nicholson tried to blame Lucy’s parents for killing her, and showed no emotion as he was convicted of the murder of the 13-year-old as well as three counts of rape when she was aged 12.

Nicholson was also found guilty of sexual activity with a child in relation to another girl in 2012, who was aged 14.

In her diary Lucy described how Nicholson took her virginity after the pair played a video game together at her home, and detailed how she locked herself in the bathroom to avoid having sex with him

He was acquitted of a charge of sexual activity with a child on multiple occasions when Lucy was aged 13. He was jailed on July 18 for a minimum of 33 years following a four-week trial. 

Stacey told Take a Break: ‘If we’d known what a monster he was, we would never have let him into our home – and into Lucy’s life.’

Explaining she is sharing her story to warn other parents about the dangers of grooming, Stacey added: ‘Now, at our home, there’s a void that will never be filled.’ 

A probe is under way into how claims of abuse against Lucy McHugh were handled by social services in the months before she was murdered. 

Despite two teachers raising concerns about the ‘vulnerable’ youngster’s welfare, social services dropped an investigation following a ‘difficult’ conversation with Stacey.

Stacey and her partner Richard Elmes (pictured), Lucy’s stepfather, who was school friends with Nicholson, agreed to let him stay with them after he admitted he was having problems with his rent

The trial of Stephen Nicholson heard that teachers at two schools attended by Lucy had become so concerned at her contact with the defendant and circumstances at her home that they had alerted social services.

Lucy, who was described as ‘vulnerable’ by prosecutor William Mousley QC, came to the attention of teachers after she told several friends that she was pregnant and had been having a sexual relationship with the defendant, an adult man, living as a lodger at her home.

There were also concerns about her mental wellbeing as she was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and had been referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Another warning sign identified by teachers was Lucy would at times not have a proper lunch at school and would eat just a bag of sweets, Winchester Crown Court heard.

The trial was told that Southampton City Council’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (Mash) decided to take ‘no further action’ after talking to Lucy’s mother, Stacey White, who had become ‘very, very unhappy’ at the involvement of social services.

Lucy, who was described as ‘vulnerable’ by prosecutor William Mousley QC, came to the attention of teachers after she told several friends that she was pregnant and had been having a sexual relationship with the defendant, an adult man, living as a lodger at her home

Emma Wright, the safeguarding lead at St Anne’s Catholic School in Southampton, told the court that Lucy, a year seven pupil, was brought to her for using her mobile phone to Snapchat with her ‘boyfriend’, Nicholson, during class in June 2017.

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

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.

She said that she decided to contact Mash because: ‘I thought there were a lot of men with access to her without Mum in the house.’

Ms Wright said she spoke to Stacey and said: ‘Mum didn’t seen surprised, Mum told me she tracks all of Lucy’s messages and Mum seemed unconcerned.’

Stacey told Take a Break: ‘If we’d known what a monster he was, we would never have let him into our home – and into Lucy’s life’

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

Ms Wright added: ‘I spoke to social services the next day and they said mum had been very unhappy with them, they said it was a long conversation with mum.

‘Social services said no further action at that time.’

Southampton City Council launched a Serious Case Review into the involvement of social services with Lucy, prior to the 13-year-old’s death in July 2018, following the trial.

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