Woman killed dad and mom and entombed them in ‘home of horrors’ whereas spending their pensions | UK | News | EUROtoday

A girl murdered each her dad and mom after which lived with the our bodies entombed within the dwelling for a number of years, a court docket heard immediately.

Virginia McCullough, 36, is dealing with life in jail with the prosecution pushing for a complete life time period because of the horrific nature of the murders of her personal dad and mom and the lenghths she went to hide them, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

The court docket heard how police made the grim discovery of the 2 our bodies hid within the dwelling within the three-storey dwelling in Pump Hill Great Baddow, close to Chelmsford, Essex, by furnishings and different objects in September 2013 after they responded to issues for the welfare of John McCullough, 70, and Lois McCullough, 71, who had not been seen for a while.

Once police executed a search warrant McCullough confirmed officers a makeshift concrete tomb and mentioned: “My father is in there, I murdered him.”

She mentioned her mom was upstairs in a wardrobe that she had not opened since she killed them greater than 4 years earlier.

She admitted to police to poisoning her father, a printed writer and retired Anglia Ruskin University lecturer, along with her personal prescription drug Pregabalin that she laced into his alcoholic medication within the night of June 17 2019, giving her mom a milder, non deadly dose.

She mentioned she discovered him useless the following day and knew she must homicide her mum to cease her telling police.

McCullough matter of factually described struggling to do it, going into her mum’s room 4 instances with a hammer.

She noticed her listening to the radio with headphones, and hit her with the hammer.

Her mum requested what she was doing and tried to defend herself, earlier than McCullough bought a knife and stabbed her within the throat.

She informed police she held her mom’s hand and apologised as she died.

McCullough then wrapped each our bodies in plastic sheets, mud sheets and sleeping luggage purchased along with her father’s bank cards, that have been taped up.

He mum was taped into the wardrobe on the highest ground and her father entombed in a concrete bed-shaped construction that had 11 layers of plastic inside it.

She continued to reside on the tackle, simply metres away from the our bodies, for greater than 4 years, persevering with to assert their pensions.

She even informed police the blood stained hammer, knife and medicines used within the murders have been nonetheless within the dwelling.

She confessed to planning the murders for six months, even giving take a look at runs of decrease quantities of medication to discover the consequences.

McCullough had £48,000 of debt earlier than the murders and had been fleecing them for years earlier than hand, mendacity that she had a job and forging paperwork to point out they’d quickly get vital PPI payouts that by no means existed.

From June 1 2018 to September 14 2019, she spent £21,193 on on-line playing and went on a spending spree on garments and jewelry on her mum’s credit score cart straight after her dying.

The court docket heard she had benefitted by round £149,000 since their deaths from pensions and different funds the useless dad and mom continued to obtain and use of loans and bank cards.

The court docket heard that to cowl her tracks, McCullough informed persistent lies about their whereabouts, steadily telling medical doctors and family members her dad and mom have been unwell, on vacation or away on prolonged journeys.

She had a collection of cellphones and sim playing cards to fake to be her dad and mom to message family and friends to persuade others they have been nonetheless alive.

She even despatched birthday playing cards from on-line retailers to family members to proceed the deception.

Her actions have been uncovered after her dad and mom’ GPs raised issues over missed appointments in 2023, resulting in a social care safeguarding after which police enquiry.

The group informed officers {that a} GP at Lois and John’s registered observe had raised a priority for his or her welfare, having not seen them for a while.

The GP defined John had failed to gather treatment and attend scheduled appointments.

McCullough lied to officers when initially contacted, claiming her dad and mom have been travelling and could be returning in October.

An investigation was launched and, on Friday 15 September 2023, officers from our Operational Support Group executed a warrant on the Pump Hill tackle.

In the moments afterwards, she confessed to poisoning her father with prescription treatment and later stabbing her mom.

At Chelmsford Crown Court earlier this yr she pleaded responsible to murdering to each dad and mom between 17 and 20 June 2019.

McCullough informed police her father was abusive to her mom, who was usually indignant and a “happiness hoover” with psychological well being issues.

She claimed to be “stuck” of their abusive relationship with monetary issues.

However, three family members, of the victims, who gave statements to the sentencing listening to, mentioned they have been loving and caring folks and her making up these lies had added to the harm already precipitated.

It was established throughout a prolonged monetary investigation which that earlier than the murders McCullough had lengthy manipulated and abused her dad and mom’ good will for monetary acquire.

Documents discovered on the property confirmed she had run up massive money owed on bank cards in her dad and mom’ names.

After their deaths, she continued to spend their pensions.

The paperwork uncovered on the tackle constructed an image of a girl who was attempting desperately to maintain her dad and mom from discovering the depth of the monetary black gap she continued to dig, whereas giving them false assurances about her employment and future prospects.

Prosecuting, Lisa Wilding KC, pushed for a complete life order saying the murders have been seemingly carried out as her frauds have been quickly to be uncovered and concerned vital planning and concealment of the our bodies.

The court docket heard McCullough had been assessed for her health to plea, as a result of psychological well being issues, however she was discovered to have the ability to.

She was discovered to have autism spectrum dysfunction throughout psychiatoirc examination aftrer the murders.

But, a report by psychiatrist Professor Nigel Blackwood mentioned: “Her abnormal personality structure (with psychopathic features of deceptiveness, callousness and a striking lack of emotional empathy), together with her hostility toward her parents and her desire to be ‘free’ of them, help to provide some explanation for the index offences, but do not reduce her culpability for the same.”

Sentencing will happen this afternoon once we will replace you with the end result.