Lee Chugg and Jodie Swannick stamped on and kicked frail 60-year-old Stephen Fogg to death – then blamed each other for the killing.
Both denied murder but were convicted by a jury at Exeter Crown Court on 19 May following a four-week trial.
They were sentenced today, 27 May, to life imprisonment. Chugg must serve a minimum term of 20 years and Swannick 18 years.
A carer found Mr Fogg’s badly-beaten body on the kitchen floor of his Hawthorn Drive bungalow on the morning of 17 December 2020.
It is believed that he was attacked by the defendants at the house where he lived alone on the evening of 14 December 2020.
Both Chugg, aged 42, of Knighton Road, Wembury, and Swannick, 32, of no fixed abode, admitted to police they were present when Mr Fogg was assaulted.
But each of them downplayed their role and blamed the other for his death.
A post-mortem found Mr Fogg died from blunt-force head, neck and chest injuries. These included fractures to his skull, face, neck, collarbone and ribs. Footwear marks were also found on his body.
The trial heard Mr Fogg was ‘a generous man who wanted to be friends with everyone’.
Chugg and Swannick knew the victim and had visited his house on a number of occasions.
Detectives discovered that the couple had left the Wembury area after his body was found. They did not return due to the police presence in the village.
A nearby resident saw a man and woman at Mr Fogg’s bungalow at around 9pm on 14 December.
The defendants took a taxi from Wembury to Plymouth city centre on the same night.
They were arrested at an address in Plymouth on the evening of 21 December.
Swannick told an officer at the time: “I don’t know why you’re arresting him [Chugg]; I did it.”
But she later said under interview that Chugg ‘flipped’ after the pair had been drinking vodka and went to Mr Fogg’s address, where an altercation ensued.
Swannick admitted kicking the victim in the head three times.
She told officers of her fellow defendant: “He was an evil, evil person that night. Even if it wasn’t going to be Stevie, it would have been someone else – he was in that headspace to kill.”
In a prepared statement to police, Chugg blamed Swannick and said she stabbed Mr Fogg with a pair of scissors and stamped on his body.
On sentencing, Judge Peter Johnson described the attack as ‘brutal’, saying that both defendants had shown a ‘callous indifference’ as to whether Mr Fogg had died or not.
Chugg, he said, was ‘an extremely dangerous man and prone to violent outbursts when in drink’.
“Each has shown a willingness to minimise their involvement,” he said. “I am satisfied that there was an intention to kill by both defendants.”
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Ilona Rosson, from the Force Major Crime Investigation Team, welcomed today’s sentence and said: “Stephen was described by those who knew him as a kind and generous person who wanted to be friends with all. He was a vulnerable man and trusting of everyone.
“Chugg and Swannick took advantage of his vulnerabilities and on that night subjected him to a prolonged, brutal, and senseless attack. In the hours that followed neither demonstrated any remorse for their actions; instead they focused their intentions on distancing themselves from the scene of this horrendous crime, leaving Stephen’s body undiscovered until the days that followed.
“This has been a complex and protracted investigation consisting of a vast amount of material, CCTV and expert evidence which has drawn out lies from both Chugg and Swannick who attempted to blame each other for the events that night and explain away the evidence against them.
“Violence against anyone, especially the most vulnerable in our communities, is abhorrent and Devon and Cornwall Police will always do the utmost to identify and bring offenders to justice.
“I thank and commend all those involved in this investigation – the Major Crime Investigation Team, experts, prosecution team and members of the public who have assisted and provided evidence in this case.
“My deepest condolences go to Stephen’s family and those who knew him. I hope that today’s sentence will bring comfort and closure for them.”
