Devon couple jailed for murder

They kicked vulnerable man to death

A couple have been jailed for a total of 38 years for the brutal murder of a vulnerable man with severe learning difficulties in his Wembury home.

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 earlier this month following a four-week trial.

They were sentenced on Friday 27 May to life imprisonment. Chugg must serve at least 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 three days earlier by the defendants at the house where he lived alone.

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 examination 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 9 p.m. on 14 December.

The defendants took a taxi from Wembury to Plymouth city centre on the same night.

They were arrested in Plymouth a week later.

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.

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 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.

“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.

“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.”