‘Sadistic’ women mocked, tortured and beat vulnerable Sheffield man to death

Two women who tortured and killed their neighbor in cold blood have been found guilty.

Jurors needed just two hours and 35 minutes to find Zoe Rider, 36, and Nicola Lethbridge, 45, guilty of robbing and murdering Stephen Koszyczarski on August 9 last year. The monstrous duo tortured Stephen and filmed part of the attack.

During the trial at Sheffield Crown Court, jurors watched footage of the pair taunting Stephen as they robbed and attacked him. Part of the footage was played during the opening in April and in it they could be heard hurling terrible abuse at the defenseless Stephen.

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One said: “Dirty, bloody wrong no… They cut his balls off. Where is the knife, where did the scissors go? **** that they abuse little girls aren’t you Steve?

Then another was heard saying, “Aren’t you Steve?” while one of them said: “Don’t even deny it you f****** c***.”

As the footage played, one of the defendants could be heard saying: “Wipe your bloody face”, while one man said: “I can’t stop bleeding”. They then said, “Do you think I give a ***?”

Prosecutor Andrew O’Byrne KC told the court that Stephen, 60, lived alone at his flat in Fraser Drive, Sheffield, and was described as a “collector”. He said on the day of his murder, he had gone to a coffee shop and talked to the owner, whom he knew. The woman was said to be worried about Stephen, who appeared to be “running out of money”.

Mr O-Byrne said: “During the conversation he complained that he wasn’t getting much sleep because the people in his block were making a lot of noise and disturbing him.”

The woman was said to have offered to give Stephen £55 and although he was reluctant at first, he eventually accepted.

It was heard that Stephen was caught on CCTV footage on his way home, but at 11.20pm that night, he pressed a button on a lanyard which activated an alarm used to assist those with health problems. Mr O-Byrne said: “He spoke to an operator and asked for assistance. He told them he had been attacked and was bleeding.”

Female voices were said to be heard in the background of that call.

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The court heard Stephen was taken to hospital but died on August 11. Mr O-Byrne said a pathologist who carried out a post-mortem examination on Stephen’s body said he “died as a result of what he describes as a sustained and blunt force. physical aggression and bleeding of the skull”.

Stephen was said to have injuries to his head and neck, bruises to his ear, eyes, cheeks and lips. He also suffered bruising to his chest which was “most likely caused by blows”.

Mr O’Byrne described the attack on him as “sadistic”. Both Lethbridge and Rider will be sentenced on June 5.