Chatham killing – Oliver Saxby QC defends

The case of Joshua Stimpson, charged with the murder of his ex-partner, Molly McLaren, got underway on Monday. On the morning of 29th June 2017, Stimpson attended the gym where Molly McLaren was having a work out and then followed her out into the car park where he attacked her with a knife he had bought two days earlier. Miss McLaren suffered catastrophic injuries to her neck and died at the scene. The Crown allege that Stimpson had taken to stalking Miss McLaren after she had ended their relationship a short time earlier. She had blocked him on social media but, with the help of friends, he had been able to chart her movements – for instance, turning up at a local pub where she was seeing friends. The attack was a frenzied one, carried out in broad daylight in a busy public area. Members of the public witnessed what was happening and tried to intervene. Stimpson has admitted the offence of manslaughter but denies the allegation of murder on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Next week, the court will hear evidence from a psychiatrist whose view it is that he was suffering from an abnormality of mind which impaired his responsibility for what he did. The Crown will be calling expert psychiatric evidence in response. The expert evidence involves extremely detailed and complex issues of mental health, particularly in relation to psychiatry, personality disorders and their manifestation.

Oliver Saxby QC is instructed by Reeves and Co, Ashford and is leading Max Reeves from that firm. The trial is expected to conclude some time early the week after next.

Please use the links below for news coverage of the case:-

Daily Mail and here
Metro
The Times and here 
The Sun and here 
The Independent
BBC News  and here and here
ITN News
Sky News