Sheffield neighbors who killed vulnerable man jailed for life

Two neighbors who killed a vulnerable man in a “brutal, heartless and despicable” attack will spend at least 26 years in prison.

Stephen Koszyczarski, 60, suffered serious head injuries after being attacked at his home in Woodseats, Sheffield, on August 9.

Zoe Rider, 36, and Nicola Lethbridge, 45, of Fraser Drive, were found guilty of murder and robbery after a three-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court in May.

Jailing the pair for life, Judge Sarah Wright described their actions as “vicious and extremely violent”.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Wright told Rider and Lethbridge they had “invaded his home, intending to help you with his property, threatening him and using violence upon him”.

The attack on Fraser Drive, partly filmed on a mobile phone, was “clearly fueled by drugs and possibly alcohol”, the judge added.

The pair falsely accused Mr Koszyczarski of being a pedophile, despite having no evidence to support their claims.

On the night of the attack, prosecutors previously said the two women went to his home “to confront and humiliate” Mr Koszyczarski.

In a statement read to the court, Mary Jones, who had been friends with Mr Koszyczarski for 38 years, said he was “nothing but kind”.

“I cry most days and most nights – he was such a special man,” Mrs Jones said.

“The impact it had on me was unbearable.”

She continued: “I struggled to come to terms with Stephen’s murder and the horrible, bad things they did to him.”

The court heard the victim’s trousers fell down during the attack and the pair made threats to mutilate him.

A number of jewels were stolen by Rider and Lethbridge, which are believed to have been used to pay for drugs.

Judge Wright said that while they may not have intended to kill Mr Koszyczarski, they did intend to cause him serious injury, breaking his nose and causing him to bleed on the brain.

“You have dealt with him in the most brutal, heartless and contemptuous way,” she told the pairs.

“You launched a vicious and extremely violent joint attack on him.”

Speaking to the BBC after the sentencing hearing, Inspector Thomas Woodward described the attack on Mr Koszyczarski as “really callous”.

“Nicola Lethbridge and Zoe Rider assaulted, intimidated and attacked him in his own home in the most humiliating way while filming the attack,” he said.

“While the guilty verdicts bring comfort that justice has been served, this remains a sad day as it is another reminder of how violence can end a life too soon.”

He added: “It affects everyone involved greatly and leaves family and friends with pain and holes in their lives.”