Murderer who dumped boyfriend’s body in freezer died with Covid after refusing to shield in prison

A murderer serving a life sentence for killing her ‘sugar daddy’ and dumping his body in a freezer died with Covid-19 after refusing to shield in prison, a report found.

Sharon Swinhoe was found guilty in 2013 of murdering Peter McMahon, 68.

She’d used her fingernails to gouge his eyes out before transporting his body in a suitcase and hiding his remains in a chest freezer at a friend’s flat.

Swinhoe received a minimum 25-year jail term for murder but served less than ten years as Covid 19 caused her to die of multiple clots that obstructed the blood flow to her organs in March last year.

Swinhoe refused to shield

A report into her death by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman said she had asthma and a chronic lung disease which put her at high risk of complications from Covid.

After initially agreeing to shield, she then refused to from August 2020, according to the report.

She felt unwell and tested positive for Covid on 7 February last year. On 15 February, a nurse found she had low blood oxygen saturation but Swinhoe refused to go to hospital.

A second nurse requested an emergency ambulance and she again refused to be taken by paramedics.

Her health deteriorated on 23 February, when a nurse discovered she had a left-sided facial droop, a right sided weakness and was not able to hold her body up.

Murderer was described as having ‘no remorse’

She also continued to have low blood oxygen saturation, a high respiration rate, a high pulse rate and low blood pressure.

Swinhoe was unable to speak in full sentences and was responsive to voice only. She died in hospital later that day.

The ombudsman’s report noted that it appeared she contracted Covid at New Hall prison near Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

Swinhoe’s boyfriend, a retired civil servant, was last seen alive on 18 October 2012 when he took a taxi to his girlfriend’s flat.

His dead body remained in a freezer for six weeks during which time Swinhoe made multiple withdrawals of cash from his bank account.

Swinhoe was described as having no remorse by the prosecution at her trial at Newcastle Crown Court in 2013.

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