Handymen ‘raped a young mum and burned her alive’
TWO men raped a young mother and left her to die in a burning car while taking a selfie picture as they drove away, a court heard yesterday.
Stephen Unwin and John McFall, who work as handymen, sent depraved text messages to each other before allegedly murdering Vietnamese-born Quyen Ngoc Nguyen, 28, after a five-hour sex ordeal at Unwin’s home.
It is alleged they held 7st Miss Nguyen at the house, raped her and then forced her to hand over PIN numbers to her bank cards.
Jamie Hill QC, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court the motive was “violent, warped sexual fantasy and greed”.
After allegedly raping and assaulting motherof-two Miss Nguyen on August 15 last year, Unwin, 40, and Quyen Ngoc Nguyen died McFall, 51, were caught on CCTV leaving Unwin’s home in Houghton-le-Spring with her wrapped in a white sheet. They allegedly bundled her on the back seat of her Audi A4 and drove to a lane at about midnight, doused her and the car in petrol and set it ablaze. Mr Hill said a pathologist is expected to say “the presence of gases in her body tends to suggest she was briefly alive at the point the fire was started”. He said that Unwin and McFall appeared unconcerned. McFall took a selfie picture as they drove with Miss Nguyen’s card to a post office to withdraw cash. Unwin and McFall, of Blackpool, both deny rape and murder, each claiming the other man was responsible. The trial continues.