Woman, 44, murdered her 'sugar daddy' ex-partner with help of another boyfriend before hiding his body in the freezer Sharon Swinhoe, 44, battered to death Peter McMahon, 68, with help of Joseph Collins, 54 Swinhoe and Collins murdered Mr McMahon during 'serious sustained assault' in which retired civil servant's eyes were gouged out Pair assisted by another of Swinhoe's boyfriends, Ronald Douglas, 77 They moved body in suitcase from Swinhoe's home and stored it in freezer Peter McMahon (above), 68, was battered to death by Sharon Swinhoe with the help of Joseph Collins A woman who killed her 'sugar daddy' with the help of another boyfriend and then hid his body in a freezer was today found guilty of murder. Sharon Swinhoe, 44, battered to death her ex-partner, Peter McMahon, with the help of Joseph Collins, 54. Swinhoe and Collins murdered Mr McMahon, 68, during a 'serious sustained assault' in which the retired civil servant's eyes were gouged out. The pair were then assisted by another of Swinhoe's boyfriends, Ronald Douglas, 77, in moving the body in a suitcase from Swinhoe's home and storing it in a chest freezer at Collins" flat, where it badly decomposed before the chilling discovery was made by police. All three denied murder during their trial at Newcastle Crown Court. Douglas was cleared of murder and manslaughter but had previously admitted perverting the course of justice by helping to move and conceal Mr McMahon's body. Mr Justice Globe will pass sentencing tomorrow at 2pm. The court heard that Mr McMahon was 'unlucky in love', having been married and divorced twice. Mr McMahon was 'besotted' with Swinhoe, who was more than 20 years his junior, after meeting in the Metropolitan Bar in Elswick, Newcastle, but she went on to milk his bank accounts, leaving him with thousands of pounds worth of debt. Swinhoe (left), 44, and Collins (right), 54, murdered Mr McMahon during a 'serious sustained assault' in which the retired civil servant's eyes were gouged out Swinhoe and Collins were assisted by another of her boyfriends, Ronald Douglas (pictured front left with them), 77, in moving the body in a suitcase from Swinhoe's home and storing it in a chest freezer at Collins' flat, where it badly decomposed before the chilling discovery was made by police. Above, the trio in the lift at Collins' flat on the night the body is believed to have been moved there Nicholas Lumley, prosecuting, had told the court: 'More likely than not, she saw him as a good catch, a "sugar daddy', as he would often buy things for her. The court heard that Mr McMahon had a 'decent pension' and was financially comfortable, but Swinhoe plundered his bank account and credit card, continuing to make withdrawals for hundreds of pounds after he was dead. 'He was besotted with her, but for her, we say, it was a relationship of convenience,' said Mr Lumley. There were other men in her life and she cunningly played off one against the other. Mr Collins was one of those other men in her life, Mr Douglas was another. Swinhoe was also accused of pestering her co-accused Joseph Collins to plead guilty in a prison van during their trial, encouraging him to 'end it now' by admitting manslaughter, which she denied. On November 20 last year, at around 7.30pm, Swinhoe, Collins and Douglas were caught on CCTV arriving at Collins' flat with what the prosecution allege was a suitcase containing Mr McMahon's body. Above, footage from later that evening Last March, Swinhoe made an allegation of a sexual attack by Mr McMahon, leaving him so distressed that he made an attempt on his life, taking a dangerous amount of pills and alcohol. No charge was brought against Mr McMahon but Swinhoe allegedly used her influence over Collins and Douglas to provoke them into harming her ex-partner. Mr Lumley continued: 'The allegations were made and reported by her to others. She knew the effect of spreading such material. Ronald Douglas (pictured) admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice Each had a motive to assault Mr McMahon. Each had a reason to wish harm on him. The couple had a volatile relationship, but Mr McMahon 'took the rough with the smooth' and on October 18 last year, he was 'giddy' with excitement to receive a phone call from Swinhoe, who gave the impression of wanting to reconcile their relationship, the court heard. 'Mr McMahon was being set up,' said Mr Lumley. He was blissfully unaware of that. That evening, with the prospect of meeting up with Sharon Swinhoe again and reconciling the relationship, he called for a taxi to collect him from his address and it took him to where she lived. He told the taxi driver he was on the way to see an ex-girlfriend who was significantly younger than him. He had got dressed up smartly and was looking forward to seeing his girlfriend again. So the driver took him to the Walker area of Newcastle and dropped him off. He left behind all of his clothes and all of his personal possessions and never told his flatmate he was leaving but the plain fact is that he never returned. Sharon Swinhoe never troubled to call his phone again, because from that point onwards, she knew exactly where he was. The court heard that the Swinhoe, Douglas and Collins were in regular contact, and went to extreme lengths to hide their crime. Mr McMahon was a creature of habit, who regularly collected a repeat prescription. To avoid raising suspicion, Collins continued to collect the medication. When Mr McMahon's friends would call his phone, Swinhoe would make excuses, telling one friend that she and Peter were getting married and he no longer wanted to see his old friends. On November 18, Mr McMahon's eldest son called him from his home in New Zealand, to tell him that his partner had given birth, and he was now a grandfather. Swinhoe answered the call and told Mr McMahon's son that his father was sleeping, despite it only being early evening. On November 20, at around 7.30pm, Swinhoe, Collins and Douglas were caught on CCTV arriving at Collins" flat with what the prosecution allege was a suitcase containing Mr McMahon's body. While moving the body, Swinhoe appeared to be disguising her identity with a wig. 'He was also denied the chance to learn he had become a grandfather which he had always dearly wanted' - From statement on behalf of Peter McMahon's family Mr McMahon's blood and DNA were later discovered on the suitcase, the court was told. Mr Lumley said: 'Mr Douglas is dragging behind him what is very obviously a heavy case. Mr Collins holds the door open for them. There is no question that these three are not acting together. He added: 'The next day, Mr Collins went to a second-hand shop and picked out a freezer for £60 and said his friend was coming over with some money.' Douglas, of Newcastle, arrived shortly after with the cash and purchased the freezer. CCTV showed the freezer was delivered to Collins" flat, although the two men wouldn't let the delivery staff into the flat, insisting the freezer was left on the landing. Cleaners and management in Collins" building began to complain of a stench in the days that followed, but he blamed it on a blocked toilet. On December 1 at 1.30pm, a 999 call was made by Swinhoe to police, but the call was quickly terminated. When police attended the scene, Swinhoe, of Walker, Newcastle, said she was being harassed by Collins. She went on to say that she hadn't seen McMahon for six weeks and thought he was dead and in a freezer in Collins" flat. Police went to Collins" address and made the gruesome discovery. All three were subsequently arrested but denied the murder. Collins and Douglas admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Swinhoe denied the same charge but was found guilty by the jury. Mr McMahon's injuries included a fractured nose, facial bruising, bruising to the scrotum and the 'extremely unpleasant' gouging injuries to the eyes. The murder took place between October 17 and December 2, 2012. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Young, of Northumbria Police, said: 'Peter McMahon was a decent, hard-working man who was looking forward to becoming a grandfather. Swinhoe and Collins targeted him for financial gain, preying on his generosity and then plundering his bank accounts after his death. A statement on behalf of the McMahon family said: 'We can draw no positives from the verdicts passed here today; our dad has gone, and nothing can bring him back. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. It is particularly tragic that he not only had his life taken from him, but that these people showed utter disrespect for it afterwards. He was also denied the chance to learn he had become a grandfather which he had always dearly wanted. 'We still can't believe that anybody could be so cruel, calculated and cold-hearted against our dad. His generosity and good nature were taken advantage of, and he did not deserve for his life to be cut short in this way.