The Case of Joshua Stimpson | Stalking turns Deadly
Profile of Patrick Mackay by Mandeep Rai
Please educate yourself on stalking cases, and reach out to the appropriate channels if you or a loved one are experiencing this.
Today we look at a case of severe stalking, which would result in a young woman's life coming to a tragic end.
Molly McLaren was a University of Kent student, aged 23, when her life was taken by her ex-boyfriend Joshua Stimpson.
Stimpson, 26, a warehouse worker, was born in Stoke on Trent, but moved to Medway, Kent. He was described by those who knew him as a bright man, but there were 2 sides to Stimpson. The Kent based man became depressed, and his mood swings worried those closest to him.
Stimpson and McLaren's paths would cross on the online dating app Tinder in summer 2016, and they would go on to meet in person in October of the same year. The two would make things official shortly after this, with the University of Kent student's mother describing the relationship as normal. This however was not the case as we would later learn. Stimpson's previous relationships painted him as a negative, controlling man, and he was extremely unpredictable. Whilst dating his previous girlfriend, he made threats to destroy her property and called her numerous times within a short space of time
Another ex girlfriend reported that Stimpson had followed her to a bar in Kent where he would go on to attack. Stimpson would repeatedly abuse her verbally to the point that she threatened to call 999 and report him to the police.
When Stimpson had been dating the victim, Molly McLaren, she grew concerned about his childish behaviour, and the couple broke up after 4 short months. Stimpson was enraged and began stalking McLaren both online and in person. He would make false claims about McLaren on Facebook in an attempt to destroy her name, and would regularly turn up to places he knew his victim would be. He had gone as far as to sign up to the same gym as the Kent student in order to get closer to her.
In June 2017, McLaren was followed and later brutally murdered by Stimpson. The young woman was stabbed over 70 times in a car park in Chatham, Kent. It was believed that Stimpson had planned the attack as he had purchased weapons days prior to the murder.
Stimpson was sentenced to life in prison, and would not be eligible for parole for 26 years.
Sources:
https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/who-joshua-stimpson-molly-mclaren-1144378
Comments
Post a Comment