Joseph Trevor

A brutal and callous attack in the early hours of 20 April 2019 ended the life of 18-year-old Megan Newton, a promising football coach from Stoke-on-Trent, at the hands of her acquaintance Joseph Trevor.

Megan Newton, described by her father Michael Baggeley as 'an amazing, caring, kind, loving, funny young lady', had finished her shift at a local fish-and-chip shop and headed to the Kiln nightclub in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Around 3.30am, at a taxi rank, she encountered 19-year-old Joseph Trevor, whom she knew from school. Trevor, heavily intoxicated from alcohol and drugs, confided in friends that he was too inebriated to return home to his parents in Trentham, fearing their anger. In a typical act of kindness, Ms Newton offered him a bed for the night at her bedsit in Fletcher Road, with no sexual intentions whatsoever, as confirmed by prosecutor Adrian Keeling QC at Stafford Crown Court.

They arrived at her flat around 4am. Trevor sent text messages to his father before launching a sustained assault. He raped Ms Newton twice, strangled her, and stabbed her nine times in the neck and back. The attack was described by Judge Michael Chambers QC as 'brutal and sustained... conducted in the most callous way in her own home' and 'driven and motivated by your serious sexual conduct'. Ms Newton, a sports fanatic working towards her level one FA coaching badge and aspiring for a US scholarship, suffered greatly for a significant time in what the judge called 'an appalling offence'.

After the murder, Trevor left the flat, letting himself out without alerting anyone. He was later spotted by police sitting at a bridge over the A500 in Stoke-on-Trent. Ms Newton's body was discovered later that day by horrified staff at the housing complex. Trevor, formerly of Danebower Road, Trentham, pleaded guilty to murder and two counts of rape on the first day of his trial at Stafford Crown Court on 17 February 2020.

Speaking from the dock just yards from Ms Newton's grieving family, Trevor showed no remorse. Detective Inspector Cheryl Hannan of Staffordshire Police stated: 'Trevor carried out a sustained and violent assault on Megan. She had kindly offered him a place to stay overnight because he had taken drugs and had been stopped by police and was worried about returning home. In return he attacked and killed her and left her lying in her own bed while he let himself out and told no-one what he had done.' Ms Newton's father added in his impact statement: 'This is something I will never understand and get over.'

The court sentenced Trevor to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 21 years and 65 days before parole eligibility. Staffordshire Police highlighted Ms Newton's potential: 'Megan was a young and gifted teenager who through hard work and dedication had achieved so much with opportunities to achieve so much more.' This tragic case underscores the devastating consequences of unchecked violence and sexual aggression.