been with Stephen, I truly believed he was
a good man. But instinct told me I had been
utterly deceived.
The following day, a TV news report
confirmed that a body had been found in
a burning car and Stephen had been arrested
on suspicion of murder. Breaking down, I felt
physically sick. Stephen had fooled me, my
friends and his probation officers. How could
we have been so blind?
Stephen, now 41, was charged with murder
alongside his former cellmate John, who
was also a convicted killer. Together, they’d
slaughtered a Vietnamese nail technician,
mum-of-two Quyen Ngoc Nguyen, 28, after
torturing her for five hours. She’d been raped
and burnt alive and the evil pair took a selfie
as they left the crime scene.
Stephen called me while he was on
remand, protesting his innocence. “Stop
lying. Tell the truth for our daughter!” I cried.
But since then, I’ve realised lying is all
Stephen is capable of. At Newcastle Crown
Court in March 2018, he was convicted of
Quyen’s rape and murder. McFall was also
convicted of murder and they were both
sentenced to a whole life order, which gives
no possibility for parole or release. Other
killers who’ve received this sentence include
Levi Bellfield and Rose West.
I am devastated for Quyen’s family and
her two children. I have nightmares and I’m
receiving counselling. I believe that if the
probation service had monitored Stephen
and John more closely, this horrific murder
may never have happened.
Ellie is four now and I don’t know how to
explain what sort of cruel, violent person
her father is. I’ve told her that Daddy did
something bad and lives in a “naughty boys’
home”. She’s stopped asking about him
and I pray she grows up and wants nothing
to do with him.
Stephen is a sick, twisted liar and our
beautiful little girl is nothing like him. I wish
I could’ve raised the alarm before it was
too late – the image of that poor dead girl
will haunt me forever.
KEVIN DONALD & HADLEY MIDDLETONgetting back together. I tried for Ellie’s sake
but by May 2017, I’d had enough. Our trust
was broken. Stephen found his own place
and saw Ellie twice a week.
He spent most of his time with John McCall,
now 52, a friend he’d met in prison, who ran
a property maintenance business.
On 12 August 2017, Stephen saw Ellie as
usual. Everything seemed normal but three
days later Sarah heard police cars had been
spotted outside his home. In the five years I’dmy heart went out to him. He didn’t
deserve to be punished forever, so
I let him move in and we became
a proper couple.
My girls loved him and he was
a thoughtful boyfriend. He would
surprise me with home-cooked
meals and flowers, and in February
2014, I found out I was pregnant.
Stephen was over the moon and
when Ellie* arrived in September,
he was a doting dad.
UTTERLY DECEIVED
Despite his past, we were creating a normal
family life. I loved Stephen and my friends did,
too. He had such a strong bond with Ellie and
I was so proud of him, but our relationship
slowly started to unravel.
A few months after Ellie’s birth, I discovered
that Stephen was messaging other women
online. “There’s nothing in it! I would never
cheat on you!” he protested.
We fell into a pattern of breaking up and
REAL LIFE
Stephen was
handed a whole
life order for
Quyen’s rape
and murderQuyen’s family at
Newcastle Crown CourtRachel says Stephen
fooled everyone