Stalker Who Stabbed Woman 75 Times Found Guilty of Murder

A man accused of stalking his ex before stabbing her 75 times in what a judge has called a "cruel, calculated" act has been found guilty of murder.

Joshua Stimpson, 26, was found guilty of murder on Feb. 6 for the June 2017 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Molly McLaren, the Daily Mail reports. Stimpson had denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, claiming that he had bipolar disorder and developed "borderline personality disorder" after his parents split when he was younger.

On Tuesday, Judge Adele Williams said that Stimpson's crime was "cruel, calculated, and cowardly," as he was delivered a life sentenced and ordered to serve at least 26 years before receiving the possibility of parole.

"The verdict has brought us a small measure of comfort, but it seems that nothing will take away the pain or allow us to come to terms with our Molly being taken from us. We are serving a lifetime of pain, anguish and loss," the victim's family said after the hearing.

On June 29, 2017, Stimpson followed his ex, who had reported him to police for stalking twice before, into a gym and attempted to work out in the same room as her. After her mother urged her to return home, McLaren left the gym and was followed into the parking lot by Stimpson, where he attacked her in her car, stabbing her 75 times and cutting her throat.

A bystander attempted to stop the attack, but was unable to pull Stimpson off McLaren. Police arrived to the location to discover Stimpson coated in blood from head to toe. Along with the knife he had used to stab McLaren, they also discovered two more knives and a pick axe.

McLaren's murder had come after she had reported Stimpson to local authorities twice, claiming that he was stalking her. He had allegedly posted derogatory statements about her on social media and had followed her when she would go out with friends. Police spoke to Stimpson regarding the alleged stalking just two days before the murder.

Alexandra Dale, who had dated Stimpson in 2013, had also reported him to police on several occasions after Stimpson began following her, taking pictures of her, and threatened to drown her after they broke up.

The North Kent Police Department has since reported itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and has released a statement stating that they did not thoroughly investigate the accusations against Stimpson prior to McLaren's murder.