Who is Josh Stimpson? The stalker ex who had 'two completely different sides' (2024)

University of Kent student Molly McLaren was knifed 75 times by her evil ex-boyfriend Joshua Stimpson as she sat in her car in an "act of wickedness".

The 23-year-oldhad been warned by a friend just minutes before to be careful of her "freak" ex Stimpson after she dumped him.

Now Channel 5 is airing a documentary about Molly's murder, which will air tonight (February 5), called Stalked: Murder in Slow Motion.

It is part of a series about several young women who were killed by their ex-partners who stalked them.

It will tell of how the 26-year-old warehouse worker met Molly on Tinder, dating for four months before they briefly split.

She finally ended the relationship for good on June 17, 2017 - just 12 days before she was brutally murdered in Chatham Dockside car park in broad daylight.

But who is Joshua Stimpson?

Stimpson grew up in Stoke-on-Trent but had moved to Medway after finishing secondary school.

He later lived in Wouldham, near Rochester, and had started working at Window Plan in Strood.

Former colleagues at his workplace describedtwo completely different sides to the killer at his trial.

One, a charming bright man, who stood out by "a mile" when he applied for a job as a double glazing salesman.

The other, a depressed irrational loner who "couldn't engage in conversation".

The court heard colleagues noticed a marked change in his behaviour and appearance after he returned from two weeks in Tenerife in March.

Stimpson was often in a distressed and agitated state, crying and failing to turn up for work.

He also confided that he had been having 'thoughts of doing something stupid'.

Stimpson then revealed for the first time he suffered from bipolar, saying it 'just took over' him while he was on holiday.

'Two completely different sides'

Trade manager Elena Child told police: "The bright Josh from before the holiday was not there.

"There were two completely different sides to Josh.

"After his holiday he was vacant, couldn't engage in conversation and when distressed would cry for no reason."

Stimpson's work attendance was sporadic up until it was agreed he should work part-time

His first day off under his new shift pattern was Thursday June 29, 2017 - the day of the frenzied attack.

'Controlling' nature

Stimpson had met Molly on Tinder in the summer of 2016 but the pair didn't meet face to face until later that year in October.

They began to start dating shortly afterwards.

They appeared to make a happy couple in the first few months. The University of Kent student’s mum Joanne McLaren described Stimpson as seeming “normal”.

But Stimpson had already had trouble with women in the past.

The court heard from two women, Alexandra Dale and Leah Hubbard, who had both dated the killer at various points, who described him as “controlling” and “possessive”.

Miss Dale told the court by video link Stimpson had tried to call her 25 times in one day after a night out together, before things got worse and worse.

The controlling boyfriend even threatened to “fly out and drown her” while she was on holiday, and slashed all the tyres on her car.

Miss Hubbard told a similar tale of how the two had begun dating, only for Stimpson to grow increasingly controlling when she was not always available to spend time with him.

Eventually she told him if he ever came back to her flat she would call the police, after he followed her around a Maidstone bar on one occasion and spat a drink over her on another.

'Childish'

Molly's mum Joanne said the first time her daughter had complained of Stimpson’s “childish” behaviour was when he left his job soon after the two began dating.

And much like Stimpson’s previous relationships, he soon began to exhibit similar behaviour towards Molly.

One of their first big arguments was described in court when she had caught him “recording and videoing” her so he had “things to use against her”.

Witness Alexandra Dale had described exactly the same behaviour from Stimpson during their brief acquaintance in 2013.

After the pair officially separated in June, Stimpson “turned nasty” posting abusive and false claims to Molly’s Facebook and following her.

In the days leading up to her death, Stimpson registered at the same gym as Molly, and regularly “turned up” at the same place she was, even following her to the pub on the night before her death.

The court was told by prosecutor Philip Bennetts QC that it was “clear he had a problem with women”, describing his aggressive behaviour after breakups.

Various suggestions for Stimpson’s manner were made, from his mum having left his family when he was young, to underlying personality problems characterised by a possessive approach to women.

In control

In his summing up at the trial, Mr Bennetts made many references to the “cold, calculated” nature of the killing, also drawing attention to Stimpson’s behaviour with previous partners, as well as the apparent planning which went into the attack when he purchased weapons days before Molly's death.

Mr Bennetts relied heavily on evidence given by psychiatrist Dr Joseph, who had been called by the prosecution, who said there was not enough evidence to suggest Stimpson was suffering from a personality disorder.

He referred to the definition of a personality disorder, indicating that from the prosecution perspective, details of Stimpson’s life did not indicate a “pervasive” personality problem.

He told jurors that it was the prosecution's case that Stimpson was in control of himself during the killing, and that the jury should reach a verdict of murder.

In his closing statement Oliver Saxby, defending, took the time to try and deconstruct much of Dr Joseph’s evidence, highlighting the differing opinions of Dr Joseph and the psychiatrist called by the defence, Dr Majid.

He emphasised how Dr Majid had been the lead forensic consultant at the psychiatric unit Stimpson had been referred to following his arrest and insisted that he hadn’t been called as “some kind of hired gun to come in and bamboozle you all”.

Mr Saxby suggested that Stimpson suffered a “massive loss of self-control” on the day of the attack, and said that aspects of his behaviour could be seen as impulsive, a sign of a personality disorder.

He also highlighted how his “controlling” behaviour towards women was another indicator of a disorder.

This, however, was not enough to convince the jury.

They unanimously rejected his plea of diminished responsibility and took less than three hours to find him guilty of murder.

Addressing Stimpson, Judge Adele Williams said: "Sure you do have a personality order."

She told the court an aggravating feature was stalking and there were no mitigating factors before handing a life sentence.

He is not to be considered for parole for 26 years.

Stimpson stared blankly while the sentenced was passed down but smiled at his Dad.