Teenager Ben Moynihan found guilty of attempted murder of three women out of revenge because he 'could not lose his virginity'
Moynihan, 18, left two letters confessing to his crimes, prosecutor says
James Rush
Wednesday 21 January 2015
A teenager has been found guilty of attempting to stab three women to death in random attacks out of revenge because he could not lose his virginity.
Ben Moynihan, 18, stabbed three women aged 20, 45 and 67 as they walked alone in the north area of Portsmouth, Hampshire, in June and July last year.
The teenager, who compared himself to serial killers, has been found guilty of the three charges by a jury at Winchester Crown Court following a week-long trial.
Mr Justice Jay adjourned the case for sentencing on a date to be set. The judge also asked for pre-sentence reports to be prepared on Moynihan.
Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said Moynihan had left two letters for police confessing to his crimes.
In one letter, left on a police van, Moynihan wrote: “All women needs to die and hopefully next time I can gouge their eyeballs out.
Ben Moynihan was found guilty of three charges by a jury at Winchester Crown Court Ben Moynihan was found guilty of three charges by a jury at Winchester Crown Court
”Every time I stab someone I run home and I like to smell the flesh I ripped out. Come and arrest me for God sake before I hunt for my fourth victim.“
Moynihan included a photograph of himself at the bottom of the letter.
He was later arrested after police officers recognised him in the street from the picture.
A second letter, in which Moynihan described himself as ”the unhappy geezer“ and had a symbol from the Tomb Raider game on it, was found by a couple.
The letter said: ”When women won't talk to you it's heartbreaking, why are they fussy with men nowadays.“
It continued: ”I roam these streets, hungry for blood and pain, I be greeted with attack, attack, attack, attack, dead, jolly good!“
Ms Maylin said following his arrest, Moynihan told police: ”It was not GBH, I was trying to kill them.“
Ms Maylin described how in video footage found on his laptop, Moynihan is recorded saying: ”I think every girl is a type of slut, they are fussy with men nowadays, they do not give boys like us a chance.
Ben Moynihan compared himself to serial killers Ben Moynihan compared himself to serial killers
“I am still a virgin, everyone is losing it before me, that's why you are my chosen target. I just can't live in this flat, I have no future here. So women, tell me how we should do this.”
Ms Maylin said in the footage Moynihan waved a knife at the camera and said: “Shall I stab you in the neck or in the heart, shall I slash your throat or should I just cigarette lighter you or just fire you.
”I do not know where I could get petrol from but how hard can it be to come by.
“So I hope you learn a lesson not to bully guys like us, we deserve dignity, for your own generations, remember.”
In another document, Moynihan had decribed how he “was planning to murder, mainly women, as an act of revenge because of the life they gave me.”
Following the guilty verdicts, Ms Maylin said: “It is very disturbing to think that a 17-year-old boy would write on a college computer how he would, 11 weeks later carry out attacks on women as an act of revenge against them.
”He did not know the three women he attacked on 20th and 29th June and 11th July 2014. He told the police and the court that he would have carried on with attacks and on the day of his arrest was 'hunting for his fourth victim'.“
Ms Maylin said Moynihan chose to attack increasingly older women whom he thought would not survive the attacks. She said he used a 4.5-inch knife to carry out the attacks.
She said: ”The jury at Winchester Crown Court heard that Ben Moynihan had an incomprehensible fascination for killing and heard how he would compare himself to serial killers.
“The court was shown a video that the defendant had recorded of himself, where he asked women whether he should kill them by slashing their throats or by stabbing them in their hearts.
”The most chilling document was his 'diary of evil', written during the period of the attacks, in which he declared: 'I was planning to murder mainly women as an act of revenge because of the life they gave me, I'm still a virgin at 17. And why do women have to be fussy when choosing a boyfriend, or cheating on them with others. I attack women because I grew up to believe them as a more weaker part of the human breed. I also done it to get out of this horrible life with more stress and to save myself and my family, I'm not a bad child and didn't want to do this but have no choice.'
“It was clear that the attacks were premeditated. We would like to thank the victims who had the courage to come forward and give statements to the police.”
Describing the attacks, Ms Maylin said: “Over three days in the summer of 2014, three women were randomly attacked by a stranger. They did not know each other and there is nothing to connect or link them to each other, they are all of different backgrounds, different social circles and significantly of different ages.”
Additional reporting by PA
