Guilty verdicts for stepbrother and girlfriend in Becky Watts trial
11 November 2015 at 15:47
Today (11/11) at Bristol Crown Court, Nathan Matthews has been found guilty of the murder of Becky Watts while his girlfriend Shauna Hoare has been convicted of her manslaughter.
Becky, 16, was murdered in her home in Crown Hill, Bristol, on February 19 this year.
After killing Becky, Matthews and Hoare then dismembered her at their home address in Cotton Mill Lane, Bristol, over the next few days.
The pair then enlisted friends to hide her remains in the shed in Barton Court.
“It’s virtually impossible to comprehend this level of depravity."
- Det Supt Mike Courtiour
Matthews, 28, has been found guilty of Becky’s murder and conspiracy to kidnap. He’s also been convicted of perverting the course of justice, preventing Becky’s lawful burial and possessing a prohibited weapon.
Hoare, 21, has been found guilty of Becky’s manslaughter, conspiracy to kidnap, perverting the course of justice, preventing Becky’s lawful burial and possessing a prohibited weapon.
Donovan Demetrius, 30, of Barton Court, Bristol and James Ireland, 23, of Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, were found not guilty of assisting an offender.
Karl Demetrius, 30, and Jaydene Parsons, 23, also of Barton Court pleaded guilty to assisting an offender at an earlier hearing.
All defendants are due to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday.
Senior Investigating Officer Det Superintendent Mike Courtiour said: “Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Becky’s family and friends who have shown the utmost composure and dignity during what has undoubtedly been the worst period of their lives.
“Becky Watts was a typical teenager who was well loved and, like most teenagers, had many plans and hopes for the future. Tragically, Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare have made sure these hopes and dreams will never be realised.
“Matthews and Hoare concocted a heinous plan to kidnap his step-sister Becky for reasons they have failed to fully disclose other than she occasionally left items on the floor which could have tripped up Matthews’ mother.
“The body of evidence however, has suggested a more sinister motive relating to their deep seated hatred for Becky and their twisted sexual desires.
“On February 19th this year, the pair carried out their macabre plan which resulted in the murder of Becky at her home in Crown Hill, Bristol. They then took her body back to their home in Cotton Mill Lane and began the horrific and grotesque task of dismembering her over a matter of days.
“It’s virtually impossible to comprehend this level of depravity.
“This investigation was one of the largest in the Force’s history with over 500 officers utilised."
- Det Supt Mike Courtiour
“In the following days, Matthews lied and misled the police then recruited a number of associates in a bid to conceal Becky’s body and prevent us from discovering what happened to her.
“Karl Demetrius and Jaydene Parsons were involved in assisting Matthews with his attempt to hide Becky’s body parts in a shed in Barton Court in a number of bags, cases and a box.
“After we arrested Matthews, he quickly realised it was only a matter of time until we found Becky and had sufficient evidence to charge him. This led him to admitting killing her and telling us where he had hidden her body.
“By this time, our search teams were already in close proximity to the Barton Hill address and I believe it was only a matter of hours until we would have searched the shed.
“Although he admitted manslaughter, Matthews has never taken full responsibility for his actions and he has forced Becky’s family and friends to endure the additional trauma of a lengthy and extremely distressing trial.
“Hoare has never admitted her role in any capacity demonstrating her cold blooded and calculating nature.
“This investigation was one of the largest in the Force’s history with over 500 officers utilised throughout its entirety.
“Our primary aim was always to find Becky safe and well but Matthews and Hoare had already made sure this was never going to happen.
“I’d like to thank each and every police officer and staff member involved in this investigation as, without their dedication and experience, we might not have been able to bring these offenders to justice.
“In particular, I would like to pay tribute to Detective Superintendent Liz Tunks who led this investigation from the beginning.
“Nothing will ever fill the void in the lives of Becky’s family and friends but we hope that these verdicts can finally bring them some much deserved comfort.
“I would finally like to thank colleagues in the CPS and the prosecuting barristers William Mousley QC and Mr Richard Posner.”
“Matthews and Hoare have never expressed any remorse for Becky’s death, demonstrative of the callous way they took a young woman’s life."
- Rachael Scott, CPS
Rachael Scott, head of the CPS’ South West Complex Casework Unit, said: “The CPS was involved in this case from an early stage of what proved to be an extensive and exhaustive police investigation, conducted by Det Supt Liz Tunks and her team.
“As I reviewed the evidence they gathered, it became clear not only that Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare had conspired to kidnap Becky Watts, but that their actions were motivated by their own sexual interests.
“Throughout the trial, Matthews maintained that he had killed Becky by accident during a bungled ‘prank’ to kidnap her. Having heard details of Becky’s injuries, as well as the cold and calculated way in which he attempted to dispose of her body, the jury has today found him guilty of murder.
“Shauna Hoare claimed that she knew nothing of Matthews’ plans or actions, that she had no involvement in Becky’s death or the concealment of her body. Again, the jury found the evidence did not support these claims and she has been found guilty of Becky’s manslaughter.
“Unable to complete the task at hand without additional help, all those responsible will now be sentenced for assisting an offender for their unwitting part in concealing Becky’s body.
“Matthews and Hoare have never expressed any remorse for Becky’s death, demonstrative of the callous way they took a young woman’s life just as she was starting to plan her future. The hard work and meticulous attention to detail of the prosecution team ensured that they did not today walk free.”
