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Majella Lynch: man found guilty of murder after 'perverted sexual assault' Majella Lynch: man found guilty of murder after 'perverted sexual assault'
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A man has been found guilty of murdering a vulnerable woman by carrying out a “perverted sexual assault” in which a shampoo bottle was forced into her abdominal cavity. A habitual user of drugs and hardcore pornography has been found guilty of murdering a vulnerable woman by carrying out a “perverted sexual assault” in which a shampoo bottle was forced into her abdominal cavity. Majella Lynch, 51, suffered a fatal infection and died in hospital after the brutal attack by Daniel McBride, 43, at her flat in Southampton. The details of the attack were so shocking that a juror hearing the trial at Winchester crown court fainted when the prosecution opened the case.
Majella Lynch, 51, suffered a fatal infection and died in hospital after the “sadistic” attack by Daniel McBride, 43, at her basement flat in Southampton. DCI Ellie Hurd, of Hampshire police, said McBride had carried out a “horrific, humiliating and sadistic attack on an extremely vulnerable woman for his own perverted purposes”. She said: “Having invited himself into Maj Lynch’s home, he callously inflicted horrendous internal injuries to her, leaving her to die a prolonged and no doubt excruciatingly painful death.
The details of the attack were so shocking that a juror hearing the trial at Winchester crown court fainted when the prosecution opened the case. “Daniel McBride has repeatedly lied about what happened that night and showed no remorse for his actions, which can only have added to the uncertainty and distress of her friends and family. I hope today’s verdict and the sentence which follows can provide a degree of satisfaction that some justice has been achieved for Maj.”
Lynch was taken to hospital on the morning of Good Friday last year after she was found by a support worker suffering “severe abdominal pain”.Lynch was taken to hospital on the morning of Good Friday last year after she was found by a support worker suffering “severe abdominal pain”.
Medical staff examined her and found a full 400ml shampoo bottle in her abdominal cavity. The bottle was removed but she died two days later. She was too frightened to say what had happened to her but told a nurse that she had been assaulted. Medical staff examined her and found a full 400ml shampoo bottle in her abdominal cavity. The bottle was removed but she died two days later. She was too frightened to say what had happened to her.
CCTV footage caught McBride going down the steps of Lynch’s flat on the night of the attack. He initially denied he had been there or knew Lynch but when confronted with forensic evidence proving he must have been he changed his story and said he had gone to her aid after hearing her calls for help. CCTV footage caught McBride going down the steps of Lynch’s flat on the night of the attack. He initially denied he had been there or knew Lynch, but when confronted with forensic evidence proving he must have been in her flat, he changed his story and said he had gone to her aid after hearing her calls for help. The day before the attack, McBride had split up with his girlfriend. The court heard that two women had turned down his sexual advances on the night he assaulted Lynch.
The day before the attack, McBride, a habitual cocaine user and an addict of hardcore pornography, split up with his girlfriend. The court heard that two women had turned down his sexual advances that night before he went to Lynch’s flat. Women’s groups reacted with horror to the case. Lisa Longstaff, of the campaign group Women Against Rape, said: “The most vulnerable women who are sexually assaulted don’t usually get their cases to court, but this woman came to the authorities’ attention because she died from her injuries. These tragic circumstances may have been prevented if we had a more caring society. Instead women are being increasingly impoverished and isolated and made more vulnerable to attack.”
Friends and support workers described 5ft 2in Lynch as friendly, gentle and kind. But she was also isolated, lonely and vulnerable, a target for thieves and sexual predators who knew that she struggled physically and mentally to keep her property and herself safe.
When her body was laid out on the pathologist’s examination table, he found dozens of scratches, scars and bruises on her face, forehead, arms and legs that told of her hard life on the streets of Southampton. She suffered from alcohol-related liver disease that made her susceptible to infection.
Lynch was well known among the agencies who work with homeless people and addicts. Trevor Pickup, the chief executive of the Society of St James, which provided Lynch with domiciliary care – what used to be called meals on wheels – said she was a likeable woman.
Related: Majella Lynch: victim of sexual assault with shampoo bottle was 'lost soul'Related: Majella Lynch: victim of sexual assault with shampoo bottle was 'lost soul'
In court Lynch was portrayed as a vulnerable person with a drink problem who led a chaotic lifestyle. Support workers had given her the shampoo bottle to help with her personal hygiene. Because she was lonely, she would invite passersby into her home at all hours of the night. “She was seen by our staff who knew her as a lovely, harmless, lost soul, and also someone who was a very kind, sweet lady, greatly liked by her peers. She was given domiciliary care for a few hours a week for around seven months and was a pleasant, sometimes quite chatty person.”
McBride, who is also from Southampton, had denied murder. In the weeks leading up to Lynch’s death, her circumstances had begun to improve. She had started looking after herself and her home better, taking medication, and was keeping to a planned drinking regime.
McBride showed little emotion as he was convicted. He is to be sentenced on Thursday.