'She was kind and she was lovely': Family and friends pay tearful tributes to 'very very vulnerable' student killed by convicted rapist

The mum of a vulnerable student who was brutally murdered by a convicted rapist has told how she carries a picture of her daughter with her every day. An inquest heard Elizabeth McCann, 26, was plied with booze before being raped and strangled to death by fellow student Simon Goold.

Goold, then 52, pleaded guilty to murdering her on the second day of a trial in February 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 35 years. He had previously been convicted of rape, sexual assault and wounding in relation to an attack on a neighbour in Lancashire in 2010, the inquest heard.

Goold was released from prison in April 2019 and was on life licence and the sex offenders register when he met Ms McCann, of Dukinfield, at the Health and Wellbeing college run by Pennine Care NHS Trust in Ashton-under-Lyne.

After messaging her on Facebook on August 24, 2022, he met her for a drink at the Star Inn pub on Old Street in Ashton before buying her several rounds of double vodka and coke and numerous shots of Sambuca. Ms McCann, who had mental health issues, was on medication and rarely drank alcohol, was seen falling over and being physically sick.

When bar staff refused to serve him any more drinks, he took her back to his flat at a B&B on Manchester Road in a taxi - sexually assaulting her during the journey. Neighbours then heard shouts and screams for around 25 minutes.

The following morning Goold, who was studying photography and drugs counselling at the college, rang police and told them that there was a dead woman in his flat and that he had killed her by strangling her during sex.

On the second day of the trial he changed his plea and admitted sexually assaulting, raping and killing her.

A post mortem gave the cause of death as 'ligature strangulation', the inquest heard. A toxicology report found Ms McCann had a blood alcohol reading of 109mg, around a third higher than the drink drive limit of 80mg.

On Monday on the first day of an inquest at Stockport coroners court, Ms McCann's parents John and Debbie McCann paid tribute to their 'much loved' daughter.

A tearful Mrs McCann told the court she carries a picture of Elizabeth with her all the time. She added: "I was very, very protective of her. We did a lot of things together.

"We loved to cook together. We played football. Her favourite team was City and I would be United. I would go in goal and she would trip me up. There are lots of good memories."

Mr McCann said: "She loved going to college - she just wanted to learn. She was easily led, she was very trusting, too trusting."

Gaynor Hammerton, a former student turned volunteer at the college, told the inquest how Ms McCann was known as 'Dizzy Lizzy', because she was 'always buzzing about'.

Fighting back the tears Ms Hammerton said: "She was my friend. She was kind and she lovely and she was very, very vulnerable. I think that's why we clicked so well - we had been through similar things in our past."

Ms Hammerton told how one of the last times she saw Ms McCann was at a pet therapy course at the college around a week before her murder. The class was booked up, but because Ms McCann was desperate to attend Ms Hammerton arranged for her to join in for the last 15 minutes.

Ms Hammerton said: "All she wanted to do was hold one of the rats. I took a picture of her holding one. I still have it on my phone. She looked at me and said 'Thank you'.

"That afternoon she came to a coffee afternoon at the college. She was laughing and joking. She had me in stitches.

"She was just dead happy."

Ms Hammerton also told how she had become friendly with Goold in 2019 after meeting him at college while she was a student there. For her 50th birthday he gave her a bottle of wine and a card and on another occasion asked her out, but she refused.

In late July 2022 Ms Hammerton said she was at Wetherspoons in Ashton having a family meal for her son's birthday when Goold, who she described as being 'on his way to being very, very drunk', approached her, put his arm round her and tried to kiss her.

She said the incident made her feel so uncomfortable she left the pub and later reported it to college manager George Edgeley, who then spoke to Goold to tell him his behaviour was 'inappropriate'.

Senior coroner Alison Mutch had previously said 'at the very least' the inquest would explore:

• 'The circumstances surrounding Mr Goolds incarceration in custody',

• 'The release of him from custody and the terms of his licence and supervision on release from custody',

• 'How his level of risk was assessed, then reduced from high to medium risk',

• 'The level of risk he posed, how he came to be at the college and information sharing with the college'

• 'How he came to meet Elizabeth McCann and the events leading up to her tragic death'

On Monday a request from Ms McCann's family to hold what is known as an Article 2 inquest- enhanced inquests that look into the wider circumstances of somebody's death - was granted by the coroner. Ms Mutch said that was because she was 'satisfied' that 'arguably' there wasn't a system in place for 'high risk individuals and information sharing' that was capable of being used in a 'timely and effective' way.

The inquest is expected to last five days.