Good ‘old fashioned’ police work, alongside in-depth forensic and mobile phone analysis led to Nicola Lethbridge and Zoe Rider being put before the courts to ensure justice for 60-year-old Stephen and his close friends.

During a three-week trial, Sheffield Crown Court heard how on Wednesday 9 August 2023, Lethbridge and Rider entered Stephen’s home on Fraser Drive in Woodseats.

The pair were neighbours of Stephen but rather than looking out for their community, preyed upon Stephen, taking his personal items and attacking him.

On 9 August, the pair physically abused Stephen in his own home, recording their actions on a mobile phone. Stephen used a call line installed in his home to call for help.

During the call, Stephen asked for an ambulance, and a recording of the line played in court also identified Rider asking him for his property, while he lay dying.

After the alarm recording at around 11.30pm, but before the ambulance service arrived, the women had left Stephen critically injured and continued to gather socially within a close by property. Stephen was taken to hospital where he sadly died two days later from his injuries.

An investigation into Stephen’s death began and old-fashioned Police work which included door-to-door enquiries and reviewing the alarm recording led to Lethbridge and Rider becoming suspects.

Following their arrests, significant findings were discovered on their mobile phones, including a video of them assaulting Stephen. During the video, one of them was captured wearing cream jogging bottoms.

Those jogging bottoms would again later provide forensic opportunities to place the pair in Stephen’s home.

Forensics identified a small amount of blood on the joggers belonging to Stephen, with both womens’ DNA in the waistband of the clothing.

With both identified as being involved, the women began to turn on each other – a continuation showed throughout the trial.

Nicola Lethbridge, 45, and Zoe Rider, 36 both of Fraser Driver, were both found guilty of murder and robbery by a jury in just one hour. They will appear before Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday 5 June for sentencing.