Hayes man who spied on housemate convicted of murder

Sheldon Rodrigues killed Stephanie Hansen after she turned down his advances

A man who installed surveillance equipment to spy on his housemate has been convicted of murdering her.

Sheldon Rodrigues killed Stephanie Hansen in Hayes, west London, in December 2022 after she turned down his advances.

Rodrigues had been obsessed with Ms Hansen for at least seven years, even offering to have surgery to change his appearance, the Old Bailey was told.

He attacked her after discovering, via a listening device, she had a partner.

Jurors heard how Rodrigues, 30, spent 158 hours listening to audio he recorded from a kit he had hidden inside a television to monitor her actions and eavesdrop on dates.

He had been working a night shift for a cargo company near Heathrow airport when he discovered her boyfriend had visited her.

Arriving home at about 07:00 GMT, he attacked Ms Hansen in her bedroom.

Nearly 60 separate injuries were recorded on her body, the court heard, including knife wounds to her neck and blunt force injuries caused by a hairdryer and large fan.

Sheldon Rodrigues installed listening devices throughout the home he shared with Ms Hansen

Rodrigues, of Willenhall Drive, Hayes, denied murder and claimed he set up recording devices for Ms Hansen's safety.

He also tried to shift suspicion to Ms Hansen's boyfriend.

Rodrigues's long-standing obsession was exposed in messages on his phone dating back to 2015.

In 2021, he wrote: "It hurts to see you every day knowing you'll never like me," to which she responded: "I do like you but just not enough."

He appeared not to accept the rejection, offering to change and have surgery to alter his looks, the court was told.

In April 2021, the pair moved into a house in Willenhall Drive to share bills.

Ms Hansen was found at her home on Willenhall Drive

Messages between them suggested there had been some intimacy, but Ms Hansen said it was "a mistake" and she only wanted to be friends.

By late 2022, Ms Hansen was in a relationship with a colleague which "angered" the defendant, the court was told.

He bought a spy camera to make secret recordings inside the house and monitor Ms Hansen's new relationship.

A covert listening device was found in Rodrigues's bedroom and he also paid a man £100 to drive him around in a car to follow Ms Hansen's boyfriend.

Ten days before the murder, Rodrigues searched the internet for "how to make a woman fall in love with me", the court was told.

After killing Ms Hansen, Rodrigues left her body in the bedroom for about 24 hours before calling 999 and pretending he had just found her.

Judge Judy Khan KC remanded Rodrigues into custody ahead of his sentencing on 8 March.