Woman stalked by pensioner searches Facebook to find creep was 1970s murderer

19 February 2023 , 22:27

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Stalker Desmond Finnegan chillingly told the woman 'he knew where she lived'

A horrified woman discovered the creepy pensioner who had been stalking her was guilty of murdering his girlfriend back in the 1970s.

She changed the locks and blacked out her windows and even took to wearing wigs and disguises in the street in an attempt to avoid the older man, who refused to leave her alone.

The 77-year-old, who first met her on the bus after striking up a conversation about the weather, pestered her for months near her home on Moseley.

A matter of weeks after meeting, he turned 'aggressive' as he accused the woman, who was considerably younger than him, of being rude for avoiding him and rejecting his repeated requests to go for a drink, a court heard.

The ordeal went on for more than a year and Finnegan chillingly told the woman 'he knew where she lived,’ Birmingham Live reports.

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In 2021 his own probation workers became concerned about references he had made about the victim and they alerted the police themselves

He was ultimately arrested after his own probation workers raised the alarm. He denied a charge of stalking with intent to cause alarm and distress but a jury found him guilty following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

The jurors were not made aware of Finnegan's criminal past to allow them to judge the case on its own facts. Prosecutor Richard Sedgewick said: "This case involves the actions of Desmond Finnegan towards an individual from the beginning of 2020 to March 2021.

"In summary the allegation is he, for reasons known only to himself, began a campaign of stalking her over the course of that period, making repeated, unwelcome and aggressive contact resulting in the complainant suffering serious alarm and distress which had a substantial impact on how she managed her day-to-day activities."

He added: "He made repeated requests for her to have a drink with him, followed her, approached her repeatedly on public transport and in the street, accused her of being rude when she tried to avoid contact and made it clear she didn't want contact, and informed her he knew where she lived."

The first time the victim encountered Finnegan he made small talk with her on the bus. But within 24 hours she noticed the first 'red flag when he asked her if she had a boyfriend during a similar meeting.

The next day - encounter number three - he followed her as she crossed the road and gave her a piece of paper with his name and number on it. As a result the victim began working later at work and getting different buses home.

Birmingham Crown Court heard he refused to leave her alone, pestering her for months (Martin O'Callaghan / Birmingham Live)

She came across Finnegan multiple times in the ensuing months during the Covid-19 lockdown as she went out for her lunch-time walks. On one occasion he berated her on the street accusing her of intentionally dodging him.

Mr Sedgwick, speaking in court without the jury present, had said: "By the September the contact between the two of them had got to a deeply concerning stage for her. She had researched him on Facebook and found his name and found a story of a man with the same name, Finnegan, who had murdered his girlfriend in the 1970s."

He said she had gone to the police about it but had then withdrawn her complaint because 'he would be even more angry' once he was questioned and released.

During one of her final confrontations with Finnegan he 'told her he knew exactly where she lived but she should not worry he would not knock her door unless invited'.

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In 2021 his own probation workers became concerned about references he had made about the victim and they alerted the police themselves. Giving evidence Finnegan, of no fixed address, accepted he had met the woman on a number of occasions but denied having any kind of fixation on her.

He said he never wanted to take her out and did not know why she was avoiding him. Sentence was adjourned until April 20 and Finnegan, who had been recalled on his licence, was remanded in custody.

Carl Jackson