A cold-hearted killer who murdered her besotted "sugardaddy" and hid his body in a chest freezer is facing life behind bar
Sharon Swinhoe, 44, battered to death her ex-partner, Peter McMahon, with the help of Joseph Collins, 54, another older man who had fallen for her charms.
The pair were then assisted by another of Swinhoe's boyfriends, Ronald Douglas, 77, in moving the body in a suitcase from Swinhoe's home and storing it in a chest freezer at Collins' flat, where it badly decomposed before the horrifying discovery was made by police.
All three denied murder, but following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court, a jury found Swinhoe and Collins guilty of killing Mr McMahon.
Douglas was cleared of murder and manslaughter but had previously admitted perverting the course of justice by helping to move and conceal Mr McMahon's body.
Mr Justice Globe will pass sentence on the trio on Friday July 26.
The court heard that Mr McMahon was "unlucky in love" having been married and divorced twice.
He was "besotted" with Swinhoe, who was more than 20 years his junior, after meeting in the Metropolitan Bar in Elswick, Newcastle, but she went on to milk his bank accounts, leaving him thousands of pounds in debt.
Nicholas Lumley, prosecuting, had told the court: "More likely than not, she saw him as a good catch, a 'sugardaddy' as he would often buy things for her."
The court heard that Mr McMahon had a "decent pension" and was financially comfortable, but Swinhoe plundered his bank account and credit card, continuing to make withdrawals for hundreds of pounds after he was dead.
"He was besotted with her, but for her, we say, it was a relationship of convenience," said Mr Lumley.
"There were other men in her life and she cunningly played off one against the other. Mr Collins was one of those other men in her life, Mr Douglas was another."
In March of 2012, Swinhoe made an allegation of a sexual attack by Mr McMahon, leaving him so distressed that he made an attempt on his life, taking a dangerous amount of pills and alcohol.
No charge was brought against Mr McMahon but Swinhoe allegedly used her influence over Collins and Douglas to provoke them into harming her ex-partner.
Mr Lumley continued: "The allegations were made and reported by her to others. She knew the effect of spreading such material.
"Each had a motive to assault Mr McMahon. Each had a reason to wish harm on him."
On October 18 last year, Mr McMahon was "giddy" with excitement to receive a phone call from Swinhoe, who gave the impression of wanting to reconcile their relationship but she was in fact luring him to his death.
"Mr McMahon was being set up," said Mr Lumley. "He was blissfully unaware of that."
Over a month later, on November 20, at around 7.30pm, Swinhoe, Collins and Douglas were caught on CCTV arriving at Collins' flat at The Sycamores in Newcastle with a suitcase containing Mr McMahon's body.
The next day, Mr Collins went to a second hand shop on Elswick Road and picked out a freezer for £60.
CCTV showed the freezer was delivered to Collins' flat, although the two men wouldn't let the delivery staff into the flat, insisting the freezer was left on the landing.
Cleaners and management in Collins' building began to complain of a stench in the days that followed, but he blamed it on a blocked toilet.
On December 1 at 1.30pm a 999 call was made by Swinhoe to police, but the call was quickly terminated.
When police attended the scene, Swinhoe, of Crawford Terrace, Walker, Newcastle, said she was being harassed by Collins.
She went on to say that she hadn't seen Mr McMahon for six weeks and thought he was dead and in a freezer in Collins' flat. Police went to Collins' address and made the gruesome discovery.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Young, of Northumbria Police, said: "Peter McMahon was a decent, hard-working man who was looking forward to becoming a grandfather.
"Swinhoe and Collins targeted him for financial gain, preying on his generosity and then plundering his bank accounts after his death. "
Mr McMahon's sons Andrew, 39, and Steven, 36, said in a statement: "We can draw no positives from the verdicts passed here today; our dad has gone, and nothing can bring him back.
"It is particularly tragic that he not only had his life taken from him, but that these people showed utter disrespect for it afterwards.
"He was also denied the chance to learn he had become a grandfather which he had always dearly wanted.
"We still can’t believe that anybody could be so cruel, calculated and cold-hearted against our Dad. His generosity and good nature were taken advantage of, and he did not deserve for his life to be cut short in this way."
