The defendant, who is also a tattoo artist, is charged with murdering Lucy on 25 July last year, as well as three counts of rape against her when she was 12.

He also faces two charges of sexual activity with a child against Lucy on multiple occasions when she was 13.

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“The killer, who the prosecution alleges was Stephen Nicholson, then left her either dying or dead in a large area of woodland and made his escape.

“It had clearly been the intention of her attacker to kill her; in other words, she had been murdered.”