Murdered Molly McLaren’s mum sobs outside court after killer ex Joshua Stimpson is sent down for stabbing her 75 times
Joshua Stimpson hacked at Molly McLaren, 23, in Chatham, Kent, after lying in wait for her clutching a gym bag containing an Asda knife and a pickaxe
A JEALOUS boyfriend who "exploded with rage" and knifed his ex 75 times as she sat in her car in an "act of wickedness" has been caged for life.
Twisted Joshua Stimpson butchered Molly McLaren, 23, just minutes after she was warned by a pal to be careful of the "freak".
Tragic Molly was knifed at least 75 times and her throat was completely severed as the fiend "exploded with rage" in Chatham, Kent on June 29 last year.
She had become concerned about Stimpson, 26, who she met on Tinder, after they split and sent a final message to a pal moments before she died saying she felt like she was always looking over her shoulder.
Stimpson had been warned twice to stay away from Molly by police and was last spoken to by cops on June 27 last year - two days before her death.
He has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 26 years after jurors took less than three hours to unanimously find him guilty of murder at Maidstone Crown Court today.
Molly's family wept in the public gallery and shouted out "yes" as Stimpson, who had denied murder but admitted manslaughter with diminished responsibility, was convicted.
Sentencing, Judge Adele Williams said: “This was an act of wickedness. You took away Molly's life, quite deliberately in the most vicious fashion," she added.
"You slit her throat while repeatedly stabbing her. You did this because she had brought the relationship with you to an end about 12 days before this killing.
"You followed her to the gym that morning. You spent time stalking her in the gym and then you lay in wait for her in the car park, waiting until she got into her car so that she was trapped when you got in and launched your attack.
"You intended to kill her. You were determined to punish her for finishing the relationship with you. You were seeking revenge.
"This was all committed in public. This was a premeditated killing, there was planning."
Describing Molly as beautiful and intelligent, Judge Williams continued: "She had her whole life in front of her. She was a loved and much-loving daughter, sister, family member and friend to many.
"She is mourned by a large number of people. Her family's grief and anguish is raw and apparent for everyone to see.
"Their loss and grief is immeasurable and nothing that I can say nor any sentence I can pass can deal with that grief and loss."
During the trial, jurors were shown chilling footage of Stimpson working out in the gym next to Molly before he launched into his stabbing frenzy.
The killer can be seen walking into the same exercise room as Molly clutching a bag containing the two knives and pickaxe he used to butcher her.
The heartbreaking tribute by Molly's family
The last six months have been horrid beyond belief.
We couldn’t have got through it without the love and support of family and friends.
The number of Molly’s friends has staggered us, the like of which we have never known. Those that have visited and shared in our pain have been a great help.
We would like to thank Kent Police for their diligence collecting and collating the evidence. We would also like to thank the prosecution team for expediting the due process of the law.
The full extent of the digital stalking of Molly by Joshua Stimpson may never be known.
We would like to thank Benjamin Moreton for his brave efforts at the carpark when he tried to intervene, and hope one day to thank him personally.
The contrast in morality between these two people could not be more profound.
However, in light of this case, we feel that there needs to be more awareness over the dangers of stalking and the need for people to report any concerns over stalking to the police.
The verdict has brought us a small measure of comfort, but it seems that nothing will take away the pain or allow us to come to terms with our Molly being taken from us. We are serving a lifetime of pain, anguish and loss.
This has affected so many people’s lives and our hearts go out to each and every one of you.
Our focus now turns to making sure Molly will live on through The Molly McLaren Foundation, helping people with eating disorders.
Thank you all for your ongoing support with this.
A light has gone out in all of our hearts but shines bright as a star forever glowing.
We love you Molly.
Later, the footage captures him climbing back up the stairs to the room and peeking through the door before turning back.
He is then seen holding a gym bag and walking out into the Chatham Dockside Outlet car park where Molly was killed after she asked him: "Are you following me now?".
She had also sent a text to her mum, Joanne, at 10.45am saying "Mum he's turned up at the gym and come next to me".
Worried Molly had also exchanged 20 messages with pal Amy Lee in the minutes leading up to her death about Stimpson being at her gym.
As Molly frantically beeped the horn and screamed for help, Amy had continued to message unaware she was dying in a bloodbath.
Amy had said: "Any indication you could have been there at all. Last night, now today. Starting to look dodgy.
"He has no sense of what is normal. He is a freak. Just stay away from him."
Dogwalker Benjamin Morton had desperately tried to pull Stimpson off Molly as he hacked at her but his hands kept slipping on blood.
He told the court: "I looked inside the car and I could see that she had her throat cut. He seemed determined to make sure she was dead.
"He wasn't stabbing her, he was cutting at her throat at this point, just to make sure she would never come back.
"I looked at her and I thought 'I don't think there is anything else I can do. She isn't going to survive this'."
Stimpson had sobbed in the dock as jurors heard he had used severe force to kill Molly with an Asda kitchen blade.
The brute cut through her jugular veins and major arteries and the bone in her neck but there were so many knife wounds it was impossible to say exactly how many she had.
Molly met Stimpson on Tinder and the couple dated for four months in November 2016 before they briefly split.
She finally ended the relationship for good on June 17 - just 12 days before she died - but obsessed Stimpson began posting derogatory comments and photos about the part-time barmaid on Facebook.
These included lies about her using cocaine and he tagged people so that all her family could see.
Molly had told her mum before her death she had seen posts online from Stimpson after they broke up which said "there's more to come".
The pair were so concerned they circulated photos of him to neighbours and Molly reported the posts to police on June 22.
Two ex girlfriends told the court previously how Stimpson had stalked them after they split.
Alexandra Dale said he would follow her and take pictures of her and also sent her a photo of her back garden and threatened to drown her on holiday.
While Leah Hubbard said he spat drink all over her in a nightclub after they split, then waited outside for hours for her to leave.
Police had also been warned twice to stay away from Molly and was last spoken to by cops on June 27 last year - two days before her death.
Kent Police reported itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission after Molly's death.
In the days leading up to the killing, Stimpson joined the nearby Nuffield Gym at Medway Valley Park, where Molly had applied for a receptionist's job a week earlier.
That same day, he bought a Subatier paring knife from an Asda store in Chatham and had previously purchased a Saxon pickaxe.
On the day of Molly's death, he lay in wait in his car as she left the gym before slowly driving to her car "waiting for the moment that he has carefully considered to kill her".
Once she was in the driver's seat, he abandoned his vehicle, yanked open her door and launched a violent flurry of knife blows.
Molly tried to fight him off, screaming and beeping her horn, but she died within minutes.
Stimpson was arrested at the scene - his white vest top and blue shorts heavily bloodstained and his hands injured.
His defence team argued he was suffering from an emotionally unstable personality disorder with a hypersensitivity to rejection, which resulted in a loss of self-control after the break-up.
Judge Williams said: "You are concerned only with yourself and your own feelings. You have a narcissistic personality trait and I am sure you are not suffering from a personality disorder."You are supremely selfish and callous."
Senior investigating officer Detective Sergeant Ali Worton said: ‘Molly was a popular and ambitious young woman with her whole life ahead of her but this was stolen by Stimpson in the most brutal way imaginable.
"It was clear to the jury and us that Molly’s death was pre-planned and that Stimpson is a cold and calculated killer rather than somebody who does not have the mental capacity to control himself.
"By denying murder and failing to accept responsibility for his actions, he forced Molly’s family and friends to suffer even further distress through the tough ordeal of a crown court trial.
"I would like to pay tribute to Molly’s family for the strength and dignity they have shown throughout and I hope this result is of some comfort."
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