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Man guilty of Brighton sex worker murder

3:29pm Friday 4th June 2010 in


A man was today found guilty of murdering a prostitute in her own home.

Satellite television installer Neil McMillan strangled escort Andrea Waddell, then set fire to her flat in Upper Lewes Road, Brighton.

The court was told that McMillan, 42, applied "unremitting pressure" to 29-year-old Ms Waddell's neck for about 20 seconds while he was in a "worked up and angry mood" on October 15 last year.

Jurors had been asked to consider whether he killed her after discovering she used to be a man or because she had been unable, through her physical problems, to perform sexually for him.

Lewes Crown Court heard that he went to his own nearby home afterwards to shower and wash his clothes in an attempt to cover his tracks.

McMillan, of Bennett Road, Brighton, had denied murder.

He was sentenced to life, with a minimum of 22 years.

Comments(13)

DoubleD says...
3:58pm Fri 4 Jun 10

As a witness in this case, all I can say is Justice has been done.
Having known this man for a brief period and with the events in Cumbria very fresh in the mind, its hard to say what makes people snap like this.
Well Neil.....you will have a very long time at her Majesties pleasure to think about that.
And to Andrea's family, I hope you can now put this awful episode behind you and live only with the cherished memories of your beloved daughter and sister!

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dixie normous says...
5:16pm Fri 4 Jun 10

hi doubleD, should you as a juror be commenting on this case on a newspaper forum, maybe the guy will go to appeal. i havent a clue about the law on this, or even if my comments are relevant to it, just wondered, thats all.

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DoubleD says...
5:29pm Fri 4 Jun 10

No idea....I'm not stating my evidence, just wishing the family all the best!
I was a witness by the way...one of many...but not a juror....agree that would be wrong!

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dixie normous says...
7:47pm Fri 4 Jun 10

DoubleD wrote:
No idea....I'm not stating my evidence, just wishing the family all the best! I was a witness by the way...one of many...but not a juror....agree that would be wrong!
oh sorry, i should have read the story with more care, i apologise. have a nice weekend.

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TheInsider says...
9:23pm Fri 4 Jun 10

It's about time the government changed the law for women working in this industry and gave them more protection, with licenced premises so they can employ security.
The needless deaths of women working on the streets and in their own homes in this industry must stop.
It will save many families from the grief of losing a loved one and also ensure the police do not have to waste their time policing outdated laws.
My thoughts are with this lady's family.

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Rocker says...
9:45pm Fri 4 Jun 10

To The Insider :The other side of the coin is of course that many prostitutes thrive on the illegality of the industry. They generate potentially enormous revenue streams and often avoid paying any tax. They also break trade description laws as a matter of course and promise way more than they will ever deliver. In short,the illegalities of the operating environment suit them down to the ground. I doubt many currently involved in the industry would want it legalized.They benefit from playing in the shadows.

There will always be crazies and nutters in the client sector...that's just the way it is,unfortunately.

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ArthurD says...
9:49pm Fri 4 Jun 10

I can't imagine many men would be happy to find out a "girl" was not truly the sex they thought she was. No excuse for violence of course.

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greggor says...
10:32pm Fri 4 Jun 10

DoubleD wrote:
As a witness in this case, all I can say is Justice has been done. Having known this man for a brief period and with the events in Cumbria very fresh in the mind, its hard to say what makes people snap like this. Well Neil.....you will have a very long time at her Majesties pleasure to think about that. And to Andrea's family, I hope you can now put this awful episode behind you and live only with the cherished memories of your beloved daughter and sister!
Dixie's correct,you shouldn't be giving this guy a personality profile on a public forum,in case there's an appeal and retrial.Supposing all witnesses posted on this forum with the same view/attitude as yourself?Also,your comments aimed at Andrea's family make you look like a feminist.In turn,vacuous and superficial.

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Baldseagull says...
11:09pm Fri 4 Jun 10

Rocker, you sound like an unsatisfied customer, "They also break trade description laws as a matter of course and promise way more than they will ever deliver."
I am trying to imagine what a Prostitute could be offering that was way beyond what she would actually deliver.
----
I believe you are quite wrong about the majority of working girls wishing to remain on the wrong side of the law.

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Rocker says...
11:25pm Fri 4 Jun 10

Baldseagull : Well,twenty year old voluptuous Scandanavian 38d beauties often turn out to be fat old drug-fuelled beasts from Portslade topping up their many benefits,luxury city centre appartments are all too often trashy unfumigated bedsits furnished from skips and erotic massage might often be a fleeting touch of fingers against skin. Any old lie will do to get a punter to part with his money.And muscle might be used to hassle anyone with the audacity to complain off the premises. None of this crap would be tolerated in a legal industry.

Of course,this is a tangent to the main story here.

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TheInsider says...
9:28am Sat 5 Jun 10

Rocker, this is why decriminalising the trade and setting up proper knocking shops would be better. you could look at a menu of girls.
In addition to your comment on tax, the Inland Revenue has taken many working girls to court for recovery of tax earned through the sex industry. There have been many cases reported in The Argus.
Therefore, while part of the establishment accept that the sex industry is going on, and they take tax from earnings made from it, it still remains illegal and should not.

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PepperB says...
11:10am Sat 5 Jun 10

Baldseagull wrote:
Rocker, you sound like an unsatisfied customer, "They also break trade description laws as a matter of course and promise way more than they will ever deliver."
I am trying to imagine what a Prostitute could be offering that was way beyond what she would actually deliver.
----
I believe you are quite wrong about the majority of working girls wishing to remain on the wrong side of the law.
I don't agree that the majority of working girls wish to stay on the right side of the law - the vast majority of prostitutes, according to home office figures, are heroin and crack addicts. They don't want to pay tax and if brothels were licensed, would be very unlikely to secure work there. I realise that this doesn't apply in Andrea Waddell's case (in fact, I think it was reported that she had been trying to find out how she could pay tax on her earnings) but it is true for most.

What most sex workers need is drugs rehabillitation projects to get them off the streets and more police protection from 'crazies and nutters'.

Rocker, I'm sorry you've been so disappointed with the range of girls you've encountered but I doubt the experience of paying for their services has been as unpleasant for you as it is for them.

The insider, the 'menu of girls' that is currently available includes many trafficked women. The example of Holland shows that even decriminalising 'knocking shops' doesn't stop pimps from trafficking desperate young women from poor countries.

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Lil says...
8:58pm Sun 6 Jun 10

Of course, the reason 'most' (not sure what statistics back that up, but let's run with that anyway) working girls are crack and smack addicts is because they were in the first place, hence their turn to the sex trade to find a way to earn enough money to fund their habit. No woman that I know and I have met many sex workers in the past through my work turned to prostitution because they fancied it as a career move, those that do are very rare indeed (and often free of drug issues.)

Legalise it, it's always gone, always will. Legalise it, license it, police it, tax it. Those who choose not to can be processed through the criminal justice system rather than the ridicuolous game of pretending this thing doesn't go on as it does at the moment.

legalising doesn't solve everything, it's no magic bullet, but it's better than the shambles that exists at present, and that is an improvement. Will it stop tax evasion. no. Will it stop trafficking, no. Will it stop the murders of sex workers, no. But in all cases it will reduce it by a margin that is worthwhile considering.

It may not be palatable to number 77 Acacia Avenue that some people will pay for sex, but it goes on, and it can be grizzly, and it can be a harrowing way to make a living, but it goes on as much as it might repulse some.

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