Two women tortured and kicked their ‘quiet, shy’ neighbour to death after falsely accusing him of being a paedophile.

Zoe Rider, 36, and Nicola Lethbridge, 45, attacked ‘quiet’ 60-year-old Stephen Koszyczarski, even filming some of the sadistic attack as they taunted him with sickening, unfounded abuse.

Jurors at Sheffield Crown Court were shown footage of the killers baselessly labelling him a ‘dirty f***ing wrong ‘un’ who was ‘abusing little girls’ as they threatened to mutilate him with scissors.

As Mr Koszyczarski, who was reported to have a mild learning difficulty, pleaded for mercy, telling them ‘I can’t stop bleeding’, one of his killers replied: ‘Do you think I give a f***?’

The jury took just two hours and 35 minutes to find Rider and Lethbridge guilty of murder and an additional charge of robbery.

Stephen Koszyczarski, 60, was described as a ‘quiet’ man who kept to himself in Sheffield

It took a jury less than three hours to convict Zoe Rider (left) and Nicola Lethbridge (right) of robbing and murdering Mr Koszyczarski

They attacked their victim, who was a neighbour, at his home in Woodseats, Sheffield on August 9 last year.

He used a call line to beg for help, asking for an ambulance as he lay dying, and a recording of his final call was played to the court in which he could be heard asking for his property back.

His callous killers then left him critically injured and went to a nearby property. Mr Koszyczarski died in hospital on August 11.

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Rider and Lethbridge evaded justice for only a few days, and were charged with murder on August 15 following what South Yorkshire Police called ‘old-fashioned police work’ including door-to-door inquiries.

The pair’s phones were seized and the horrific footage of their attack pored over by specialists, which showed them attacking him, falsely labelling him a pedophile and taunting: ‘Not even denying it you f***ing c***.’

Forensic officers then discovered trace amounts of Mr Koszyczarski’s blood on a pair of cream jogging bottoms worn by one of the attackers.

Both women turned on each other during the trial – but jurors saw through their attempts to pin blame on one another.

The court heard the women had carried out their attack without any evidence to suggest Mr Koszyczarski was a sex offender. A South Yorkshire Police investigation also uncovered no wrongdoing on his part.

Judge Sarah Wright told the jury ‘no information was uncovered at all suggesting that he’d ever had children visit his address or any connection of paedophile interests’, reports BBC News.

The BBC said friends had described him as a ‘quiet, shy man’. He was said to have had a mild learning difficulty.

Prosecutor Andrew O’Byrne KC told the court that Mr Koszyczarski lived alone at his flat. On the day of his murder, he had gone to a cafe and had spoken to the female owner, who he knew.

The woman was said to be concerned about Mr Koszyczarski, who seemed to be ‘running short of money’.

Mr O’Byrne said: ‘During the course of the conversation, he complained he wasn’t getting much sleep because people in his block were making a lot of noise and disturbing him.’

It was said the woman offered to give Mr Koszyczarski £55 and although he was reluctant at first, he eventually took it.

Sheffield Crown Court, where Rider and Lethbridge were convicted of murdering Stephen Koszyczarski on August 9 last year

It was heard that Mr Koszyczarski was captured on CCTV footage on his way home, but at 11.20pm that night, he pressed a button on a lanyard that activated an alarm used for assistance for those with health issues.

Mr O’Byrne said: ‘He spoke to an operator and asked for assistance. He told them he had been attacked and was bleeding.’

It was said female voices were heard in the background of that call. The court heard Stephen was taken to hospital but died on August 11.

Mr O’Byrne said a pathologist who carried out a post-mortem examination on Mr Koszyczarski’s body said he ‘died as a consequence of what he describes as a sustained and blunt-force physical assault and haemorrhage of the skull’.

It was said Mr Koszyczarski had injuries to his head and neck, bruises to his ear, eyes, cheeks and lips. He had also suffered bruising to his chest that were ‘most likely caused by kicks’. Mr O’Byrne described the assault as ‘sadistic.’ 

Lethbridge and Rider, both of Fraser Drive, Woodseats, were remanded into custody and will be sentenced on June 5.

Speaking after the guilty verdicts, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward of South Yorkshire Police said: ‘Stephen was described as a quiet man. 

‘Although he had a close circle of friends, he kept himself to himself and just went about his business. He didn’t cause any problems or hurt anyone and his death was callous.

‘Lethbridge and Rider had not only subjected Stephen to mental torture and physical abuse but they humiliated him during the attack, wrongly accusing him of being a paedophile which was simply not the case.

‘I am pleased with the jury’s verdict and the fact that these two will now spend a significant amount of years in prison.’