A sadistic convicted rapist has been jailed for a life after strangling a woman to death with her t-shirt. Simon Goold, 52, targeted 26-year-old Elizabeth McCann after meeting her at a Health and Wellbeing college in Ashton-under-Lyne.
After messaging her on Facebook on August 24 last year, he met her for a drink at the Star Inn pub on Old Street before buying her several rounds of double vodka and coke and numerous shots of Sambuca. By 4pm, Ms McCann, who was on medication and rarely drank alcohol, was falling over and being physically sick.
Bar staff refused to serve him any more drinks and Goold then escorted her out of the pub and they got a taxi back to his flat on Manchester Road. During the journey he sexually assaulted her whilst she remained unresponsive and ’lifeless’.
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Arriving at his flat, she fell over before he escorted her upstairs where he took explicit photos and videos of her. During one video, in which she was bound at the hands and had a t-shirt around her neck, she told him she was in pain.
The following morning Goold called 999 and told the police that there was a ‘dead woman in his bedsit’ and that he had killed her by strangling her during sex.
On the second day of his trial at Manchester Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to her murder, rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration. Today (February 22) he was jailed for life to serve a minimum term of 35 years.
Prosecuting, Nick Johnson KC told the court that Goold had deliberately targeted Ms McCann after seeing her at the college. His phone showed that he had made several internet searches for porn, rape, bondage and prior to meeting her at the pub he had searched her name on Facebook.
They met at the pub before he bought her numerous alcoholic drinks which left her unable to stand. In CCTV shown to the court, Goold was seen buying racks of Sambuca shots and giving them to Ms McCann, at one stage pushing a fourth shot towards after she had already drank three. He had just one pint during the time they were there.
He then took her back to his flat and sexually assaulted her in the taxi. Back at the flat he took explicit photos of her.
“He tried to pull up her t-shirt around her neck, she was still under the influence of alcohol and could not consent,” Mr Johnson said.
“Despite her plain indications that she was not consenting at what was happening, shouts and screams could be heard for 25 minutes from other residents. He rendered her unconscious and took a photo of her naked and in that state.”
Goold went on to rape and sexually assault her before reporting her dead to the police the next morning. A post mortem report concluded she had suffered significant internal and external injuries, along with ligature marks around her neck.
When police found her body, she was partially dressed ‘in an attempt to cover up the severity of what happened’, and he lied to the police in an interview, claiming that he had no sexual motive, she did not just consent but ‘enjoyed it’ and that her death was an accident.
In a victim personal statement read to the court, Ms McCann’s mother, Debbie McCann said: “Lizzie was always so trusting but she would often get let down and friends would use her when convenient. This never deterred her though, Lizzie always wanted to make new friends.
“We have seriously struggled to accept that she is gone. I keep trying to ring her in an attempt to speak to her again.
“No parent should have to survive without their child. As her mother I felt her death was my responsibility as I failed to protect her.
“Lizzie’s personality touched everyone who met her. She was the most amazing, beautiful daughter, sister and mother anyone could ever ask for and we will always miss her.”
Mr Johnson told the court that Goold had previously been convicted of rape, sexual assault and wounding in October 2010 and was on life licence when he was released from prison in April 2019. A month later he met Ms McCann at the college.
He said that the victim had been raped at knifepoint, and that Goold had told her: “I want to kill you and bury you in the back garden.”
Defending Goold, Lisa Wilding KC said he acted in the ‘spur of the moment’.
Of his guilty plea, she said: “We received communication from the defendant in a written form to the effect that he was overcome with remorse and did not want to put Ms McCann’s family through a trial.
“On his behalf we accept that he was overcome with remorse, he says he wishes he could turn the clock back and he realises the pain and suffering he had caused to her family and friends and hopes that this recognition brings some comfort of the acknowledgement of his guilt.”
Sentencing, Judge Alan Conrad KC said: “These are truly wicked offences. I am satisfied to be sure on all the evidence that you are a highly dangerous sexual predator who has an obsession with extreme sexual violence, as evidenced by your previous convictions, your internet search history and your conduct in this case.
“You derive sexual gratification from the infliction of violence and pain on women. This was a prolonged and violent sexual attack over the course of several hours.”
Goold, of Manchester Road, was jailed for life to serve a minimum term of 35 years in prison.
The judge added: “I emphasise that it is a minimum term, not a fixed term. It may be that the Parole Board will decide that it is never safe to release you, but by the time they come to consider that, you will be a very old man.”
Duncan Thorpe of GMP’s Major Incident Support Unit said: “Firstly, my thoughts are with Lizzie’s family and loved ones at this very difficult time.
“Lizzie was preyed upon by Simon Goold. He befriended her and plied her with drinks. He then took her back to his flat where he raped and sexually assaulted her, before strangling her with a ligature, she sadly died as a result of her injuries.
“Goold’s disregard for Lizzie and her welfare is unfathomable. He claimed that this was a game gone wrong and the catalogue of injuries that Lizzie sustained were horrific and definitely not consented.
“Goold is an extremely dangerous individual who fully deserves the sentence imposed on him today.
Following his guilty plea, Craig Cleminson for the CPS said: “Simon Goold deliberately plied Elizabeth McCann with alcoholic drinks over a short period of time, before taking her back to his flat with the intention of taking advantage of her vulnerable state for his own sexual gratification.
“Throughout the case he claimed that Elizabeth had given her full consent to all that happened to her and that he had not intended to cause her harm. But on the second day of the trial he eventually pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting, raping and murdering her.
“I cannot begin to imagine the sense of loss Elizabeth’s family are experiencing; I would like to express my condolences to them. Nothing can bring her back, but I hope they take some comfort that Goold has been brought to justice for taking her away from them.”
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