This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/12/becky-watts-accused-giggled-during-interrogation-court-told

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Becky Watts murder accused giggled during interrogation, court told Becky Watts suspects played board game on day of murder, court hears
(about 1 hour later)
A woman accused of murdering the Bristol teenager Becky Watts with her partner giggled as she answered police questions about the day the 16-year-old died. The couple accused of murdering the Bristol teenager Becky Watts played a Simpsons-themed board game hours after they are alleged to have killed her, a court has heard.
Shauna Hoare, who is in the dock with Becky’s stepbrother Nathan Matthews, insisted to detectives that she did not see the 16-year-old on the day she was killed. In an interview videoed by police and shown to the jury, Hoare told detectives she and Matthews went to Becky’s home to return a cake tin and watched children’s television together. Jurors were told on Monday that in a police interview Shauna Hoare said she and her partner, Nathan Matthews, ordered a takeaway and played “Simpsons Monopoly” on the evening of the 16-year-old’s death.
Hoare, 21, claimed she and Matthews heard Becky playing music upstairs and then slamming a door as she went out. However, the prosecution alleges that Hoare and Matthews, 28, had targeted Becky in a sexually motivated attack that day. Bristol crown court has heard that the next day Matthews went to a DIY store and bought a circular saw used to dismember Becky’s body before hiding the remains in a shed.
The jury at Bristol crown court has heard that by the time Becky’s stepmother, Angie Galsworthy, returned home, Becky was dead and her body hidden in Matthews and Hoare’s car. The couple then allegedly drove her body back to their flat, dismembered it, and hid the parts in a neighbour’s shed. The jury was shown a video of a police interview with Hoare after the teenager went missing. Hoare, 21, told detectives she and Matthews, 28, went to Becky’s home to return a cake tin and watched children’s television there.
Hoare was interviewed for two hours a week after Becky’s disappearance in February. She briefly giggled as the interview process was explained to her. She told the two officers that she and Matthews went to the teenager’s home in Crown Hill in St George, Bristol, on the morning of 19 February. “I think we got there about 11ish,” Hoare told the police. Hoare smiled and giggled as she told officers she and Matthews heard Becky playing music upstairs and then slamming a door as she went out.
She said they heard music from Becky’s room. “It was quite loud but just normal music, a radio station or music channel. I could vaguely hear her music when I was in the garden. I went into the kitchen and I washed my hands and then I heard the door slam and I think I got a glass of water. I went into the living room and Nathan was sat on the sofa and playing with his phone and the TV was on.” Hoare and Matthews are accused of murdering Becky in a sexually motivated attack in her bedroom on 19 February.
Describing hearing Becky leave the house, Hoare told police: “I heard stomping, which made me think Becky left in a mood and was in one of her tantrums. I heard stomping and the door slammed so I thought she was in a bit of a tantrum. I didn’t see her. It was just an assumption she was in because I heard the music and I heard her coming down the stairs and the door shut.” The jury heard that by the time Becky’s stepmother, Anjie Galsworthy, returned home at lunchtime, Becky was dead and her body hidden in Matthews and Hoare’s car. The couple then allegedly drove her body back to their flat, where they later dismembered it.
Hoare explained to police that she would visit Galsworthy’s home three or four days a week to help her with household chores, as she suffered from multiple sclerosis, and Matthews would walk her dog. She continued: “I think it was about 12.30pm when Anjie came back. We said we heard the door go so Becky must have gone out. It wasn’t until the next day that Anjie told us that Becky hadn’t come home.” Hoare was interviewed for two hours a week after Becky’s disappearance. She told the two officers that she and Matthews went to the teenager’s home in Crown Hill in St George, Bristol, on the morning of 19 February. “I think we got there about 11ish,” Hoare told the police.
She said they heard music from Becky’s room, adding: “It was quite loud but just normal music, a radio station or music channel. I could vaguely hear her music when I was in the garden. I went into the kitchen and I washed my hands and then I heard the door slam and I think I got a glass of water. I went into the living room and Nathan was sat on the sofa and playing with his phone and the TV was on.”
Hoare also told police: “I heard stomping, which made me think Becky left in a mood and was in one of her tantrums. I heard stomping and the door slammed. I didn’t see her. It was just an assumption she was in because I heard the music and I heard her coming down the stairs and the door shut.”
Hoare told police that she would visit Galsworthy’s home three or four days a week to help her with household chores because she has multiple sclerosis, and Matthews would walk her dog. She added: “I think it was about 12.30pm when Anjie came back. We said we heard the door go so Becky must have gone out. It wasn’t until the next day that Anjie told us that Becky hadn’t come home.”
Hoare initially told officers that the pair watched a movie on the evening of the alleged murder, before adding: “No I think we played Simpson’s Monopoly and then ordered a takeout.”
When Matthews was interviewed by the same two detectives he gave a similar account.
He said: “Obviously I heard the door slam. Obviously I didn’t think anything of it. Obviously Shauna came back in and sat on the sofa. Obviously I was on my phone.”
Matthews admits the manslaughter of Becky, dismembering her body and possessing two stun guns. He denies conspiracy to kidnap and murder. Hoare denies any involvement in the plot to kidnap, the murder or the aftermath. The trial continues.Matthews admits the manslaughter of Becky, dismembering her body and possessing two stun guns. He denies conspiracy to kidnap and murder. Hoare denies any involvement in the plot to kidnap, the murder or the aftermath. The trial continues.