Men accused of killing Vietnamese woman are convicted murderers, jury told

Two maintenance men accused of torturing, raping and dumping a Vietnamese woman's body in a burning car have previous convictions for murder, a court heard.

Stephen Unwin and William McFall deny murdering seven stone Quyen Ngoc Nguyen, 28, in a depraved crime Newcastle Crown Court heard was motivated by lust and greed.

The jury has heard she was lured to Unwin's home in Shiney Row, on Wearside, and subjected to a terrifying four-hour ordeal before she was dumped in her burning Audi A4 by some allotments.

Jamie Hill QC, prosecuting, said both defendants were previously convicted of murdering pensioners in burglaries in the 1990s, and both were sentenced to life, but had been released on licence.

The jury was told Unwin, 42, had a history of setting fires at the scenes ofhis crimes.

In 1999, he admitted murdering a 73-year-old man in Houghton-le-Spring onChristmas Day by attacking him in bed with a camera and then stabbed him.

Unwin stole his TV and video recorder and then started three fires in theproperty, so his victim had to be identified by his dental records.

Mr Hill said in 1991 Unwin set ablaze an HGV he had broken into, and in 1995 he started five fires in the property of another elderly burglary victim who was rescued by neighbours.

Unwin was jailed for life for murder at Newcastle Crown Court in October 1999, and was released on licence in December 2012.

The prosecution then outlined McFall's criminal history as part of what thejury was told was "bad character" evidence.

Mr Hill said McFall, who is 51 and originally from Northern Ireland, murdered 86-year-old Martha Gilmore with a hammer during a break-in in May 1996 at her home in Greenisland, Carrickfergus.

His victim had mobility problems, Mr Hill said, and disturbed the burglar so he knocked her to the ground before hitting her with the weapon.

Mr Hill said McFall later told a probation officer he killed Mrs Gilmore "dueto alcohol, stress and panic when he became aware of her presence".

He admitted murder, was jailed for life in April 1997 at Belfast Crown Courtand released on licence in October 2010.

McFall had previous convictions for violence and firearms offences.

The jury has heard how the pair forced Miss Nguyen to give them her PINs and they took two bank cards and withdrew a total of £1,000 before and after she was killed.

Miss Nguyen was less than 5ft tall, and had come to the country in 2010 from Vietnam, the court has heard.

She helped her sister run a nail salon in Gateshead, but there was also asecret element of her life - renting properties for people without the correctimmigration documents, and some addresses were used to cultivate cannabis.

McFall, who had lately been living in Blackpool, was staying regularly withUnwin and worked alongside him maintaining properties for landlords.