A convicted rapist who murdered a young waitress in a sadistic, sexually motivated attack after she made it clear she did not want a relationship with him wandered the streets with a knife before confessing to his crime.
Michael Doherty, 38, left 21-year-old Courtney Angus with 76 wounds before taking indecent photographs of her and "sexually degrading her in every imaginable way" at his home in Batley, West Yorkshire, Britain, last July, the Daily Mail reports.
He then wandered the surrounding streets carrying a large knife and entered a supermarket, threatening to stab employees. At the time of his arrest, he told officers: “I have a body in my house.”
Doherty, who changed his name from Michael Moore in 2018, has a history of violence against women who reject him, with previous convictions for raping an unknown woman who allegedly brought him home from a night out, and for burning down his ex-partner's car.
Today he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum sentence of 33 years.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Courtney Angus had moved into his home just days before her murder last July, but she was not his partner and had made it clear she did not want a romantic relationship.
Prosecutor Craig Hassall said Doherty had made it clear he liked the young woman and had sent her a message on the day of the murder threatening to kill himself.
He wrote: “I’m tired of this life, I’m tired of being nice and, to be honest, it’s not just your fault, I can’t stand life anymore.”
He also added: "I find you very attractive, but that doesn't mean I want a relationship. I wish I hadn't told you how I feel."
Courtney replied: "It's not my fault Mickey. I don't want a relationship, I said it from the beginning, I didn't give you rights. I was a good friend to you."
According to the court, shortly before her death, Courtney had again rejected his romantic advances.
During the attack, under the influence of drugs, Doherty raped her, mutilated her body parts and left them "cynically" on the chimney of his house.
A coroner ruled the cause of death was neck compression from strangulation combined with blunt force trauma to the head.
The court also heard that, after taking indecent photographs of Courtney on his mobile phone, he sent a text message to a friend saying: "I killed someone, call me."
The following morning, Doherty committed a series of petty thefts in Batley and Dewsbury, stealing three baguettes from Greggs and losing his mobile phone in a scuffle with staff after an attempted robbery at Aldi.
Later, when he left an Asda store in Dewsbury without paying, staff followed him and he pulled out a large knife, saying: "I'm going to stab you, mate."
When officers found him in the city centre, he was still carrying the gun, threatened them and tried to enter a nearby pub.
The officers shot him with a taser and then said, "Bring in an armed team and the lead investigators now, because I have a murder, I have a body in my house."
Officers rushed to his address and found Courtney Angus dead.
At the sentencing, a statement was read from her mother, Diane Angus, who said:
"The loss of my daughter has left a void in my heart that nothing can fill.
I carry it with me in every thought, every breath, every moment. I would love to hold it in my arms again.
"I mourn not only for him, but also for the life that was taken from us."
In a statement on behalf of her siblings, Chloe Angus said the image of Courtney in the morgue "will never leave their minds."
“How could someone do such harm to a young and vulnerable woman?
"Courtney had her whole life ahead of her. She had just turned 21. She was deeply loved by everyone around her. She was the life of every party."
The court also heard that Doherty had 23 previous convictions, including for raping a woman he did not know in 2013, when he pretended to walk her home after a night out.
Defence lawyer Richard Wright argued that Doherty was in a "highly intoxicated and mentally unstable state" at the time of the crime.
Sentencing him to life imprisonment with a minimum sentence of 33 years, Judge Guy Curl said:
“Your actions have changed the lives of everyone who knew Courtney Angus, especially her family, forever.
Even worse, you took her life in an unreasonable outburst of anger because she rejected you.
"It wasn't the first time you reacted violently to women who rejected you."
The judge added:
"Even though it was clear that you wanted a relationship with her, she made it clear to you that she didn't feel the same way."
"She never gave you rights. She was your friend and nothing more."
And he continued:
"What you did after rejecting her was sexually humiliate her in every way you can imagine."
"The images on your phone show the extent of your perversion."
The head of the investigation, Dan Bates, said:
"Doherty violently attacked Courtney after she told him she was not interested in a relationship with him.
He also demonstrated his willingness to use force when he walked through the city center with a knife and threatened employees and police officers.
"His actions clearly show that he is an extremely dangerous person."
