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| Becky Watts murder trial: Nathan Matthews found guilty | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The stepbrother of Becky Watts has been found guilty of the brutal, sexually motivated murder of the Bristol teenager. | The stepbrother of Becky Watts has been found guilty of the brutal, sexually motivated murder of the Bristol teenager. |
| Nathan Matthews, 28, went to 16-year-old Becky’s home equipped with a “kidnap kit” including stun guns and handcuffs. He suffocated her in her bedroom and stabbed her in the abdomen 15 times after her death. | Nathan Matthews, 28, went to 16-year-old Becky’s home equipped with a “kidnap kit” including stun guns and handcuffs. He suffocated her in her bedroom and stabbed her in the abdomen 15 times after her death. |
| His partner, Shauna Hoare, was acquitted of the murder after telling the jury that she, too, was a victim of Matthews and over the years had been controlled by him through physical and psychological abuse. She was found guilty of manslaughter and of being involved in the dismembering and concealing of Becky’s body. | |
| Related: Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare: dark fantasies became reality | |
| The pair were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Becky, perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial. James Ireland and Donovan Demetrius were acquitted of assisting an offender. | The pair were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Becky, perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial. James Ireland and Donovan Demetrius were acquitted of assisting an offender. |
| The jury at Bristol crown court heard that after the murder, Matthews, a former soldier in the Territorial Army, took Becky’s body back to the house he shared with Hoare, dismembered it with a circular saw, packed the remains in plastic and preservative and hid them in a garden shed. | The jury at Bristol crown court heard that after the murder, Matthews, a former soldier in the Territorial Army, took Becky’s body back to the house he shared with Hoare, dismembered it with a circular saw, packed the remains in plastic and preservative and hid them in a garden shed. |
| Packages containing Becky’s eight body parts were stored in suitcases and a box, which were moved into the shed in Barton Court in the early hours of 24 February. By that time, Avon and Somerset police had launched their largest missing person investigation, which culminated in Becky’s remains being discovered on 3 March. | |
| Matthews had a sexual interest in “petite” teenage girls and “threesomes”, the court heard. Analysis of phones and computers revealed his fascination with pornography showing teenagers, sometimes dressed as schoolgirls. | Matthews had a sexual interest in “petite” teenage girls and “threesomes”, the court heard. Analysis of phones and computers revealed his fascination with pornography showing teenagers, sometimes dressed as schoolgirls. |
| Matthews bowed his head as the verdicts were returned. Hoare stared straight ahead but later dabbed tears from her eyes. There were gasps and cries of “Yes” from the public gallery and Becky’s father, Darren, and Matthews’s mother, Anjie, sobbed. | Matthews bowed his head as the verdicts were returned. Hoare stared straight ahead but later dabbed tears from her eyes. There were gasps and cries of “Yes” from the public gallery and Becky’s father, Darren, and Matthews’s mother, Anjie, sobbed. |
| The jury took just three hours and 27 minutes to return their verdicts following the month-long trial. Matthews had admitted dismembering and hiding Becky’s body and possessing two stun guns. He and Hoare will be sentenced on Thursday or Friday | |
| The mother, grandmother and brother of Becky paid tribute to her outside Bristol crown court saying she was a “loyal, loving, smiley, feisty and caring” girl. A statement read on their behalf added: “She was like a tornado and a sunbeam all at once.” | |
| The statement continued: “We wish that Becky was still alive. Instead we have spent the last five weeks hearing evidence about how she came to be killed by someone she regarded as her own family. | |
| “We would like to thank the jury for listening to the often harrowing evidence. We know this has not been an easy task. We would also like to put on record our very sincere thanks to the staff at Flax Bourton mortuary. We do not underestimate how they went above and beyond their duty ensuring we had the opportunity to see Becky one last time. It was something that gave us great comfort. | |
| “It has been difficult and at times deeply distressing for us to listen to the evidence in this case. Not only the detail of her death and what happened afterwards but also having to listen to how some people described Becky. We loved Becky. We can tell you that she was a beautiful, happy, funny, feisty, caring, loyal and witty girl. | |
| “She had got through difficulties in her life and had gained the confidence to have a boyfriend and made friendships with people she clearly thought the world of.” | |
| Related: Becky Watts: a shy girl who was growing in confidence | |
| They concluded: “Finally, we would urge everyone who has teenagers to listen to your kids; don’t ignore or dismiss what they are trying to say. If they are feeling worried about something, take your time to listen to them. Above all, cherish them as time with them is precious and can be too short.” | |
| Speaking to the BBC, Becky’s father, Darren Galsworthy said: “There’s only one way to pay for this sort of crime - and that’s by losing their own lives.” Galsworthy said he and his wife Anjie - Matthew’s mother - had been through “hell on earth”. | |
| He said: “It has been horrendous. I wouldn’t put my worst enemy through it. I was so desperate to get her back....It was ripping my heart out. | |
| “She was my youngest...the devastation and heartbreak is indescribable, I don’t have the vocabulary to describe it.” | |
| He added: “Nathan was so arrogant he thought he could get away with it. I loved him like my own son - I hate him now. Clearly there’s something psychologically wrong with the pair of them.” | |
| Asked for her thoughts about what he her son has done, Matthew’s mother said: “I was just devastated, I couldn’t explain it. He’s always been open and honest with me.....he seemed fine.” | |
| Senior investigating officer DS Mike Courtiour paid tribute to Becky’s family and friends, saying they had acted with the “utmost composure and dignity”. | |
| He added: “Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare have made sure Becky’s hopes and dreams will never be realised. Matthews and Hoare concocted a heinous plan to kidnap Becky. The evidence has suggested a sinister motive related to their deep-seated hatred of Becky and their twisted sexual desires. | |
| “The pair carried out their macabre plan which resulted in the murder of Becky. They took her body back to their home and began the horrific and grotesque task of dismembering her. It is virtually impossible to comprehend this level of depravity. | |
| “After we arrested Matthews he realised it was only a matter of time before we found Becky. This led him to admitting killing her and telling us where he had hidden the body. | |
| “Though he admitted manslaughter, Matthews has never taken full responsibility for his actions. He has forced Becky’s family and friends to undergo the trauma of a lengthy and distressing trial. Shauna Hoare has never admitted her role, demonstrating her cold-blooded and calculating nature.” | |
| Related: Nathan Matthews case reignites debate over violent sexual images | |
| A serious case review is to be held to investigate the contacts Becky, Matthews and Hoare had with the authorities. Becky once told a child psychologist that she was frightened of Matthews, while her stepbrother sought help for mental health issues and was frustrated at what he saw as a lack of help. | A serious case review is to be held to investigate the contacts Becky, Matthews and Hoare had with the authorities. Becky once told a child psychologist that she was frightened of Matthews, while her stepbrother sought help for mental health issues and was frustrated at what he saw as a lack of help. |
| Matthews and Hoare, who was in and out of care as a child and pregnant at the time of the killing, began their relationship when she was only 14 or 15 and he was in his early 20s. | Matthews and Hoare, who was in and out of care as a child and pregnant at the time of the killing, began their relationship when she was only 14 or 15 and he was in his early 20s. |
| The police may also come under pressure to explain why it took so long for them to establish what had happened to Becky, who vanished from her home on 19 February. It was a week before police found her blood on the doorframe of her bedroom and 12 days before her remains were discovered. | The police may also come under pressure to explain why it took so long for them to establish what had happened to Becky, who vanished from her home on 19 February. It was a week before police found her blood on the doorframe of her bedroom and 12 days before her remains were discovered. |
| Matthews’s conviction is also bound to reignite the debate over whether the use of pornography, especially focused on teenagers, leads some people to violence. | Matthews’s conviction is also bound to reignite the debate over whether the use of pornography, especially focused on teenagers, leads some people to violence. |
| The judge, Mr Justice Dingemans, told the jury they were entitled to be present when the pair are sentenced on Friday. He said they would be excused from ever serving on a jury again. | The judge, Mr Justice Dingemans, told the jury they were entitled to be present when the pair are sentenced on Friday. He said they would be excused from ever serving on a jury again. |
| Friends and family of Becky, including her best friend, Courtney Bicker, her grandfather John Galsworthy, uncle Sam Galsworthy and brother Daniel Watts, sat in the public gallery wearing blue ribbons. | Friends and family of Becky, including her best friend, Courtney Bicker, her grandfather John Galsworthy, uncle Sam Galsworthy and brother Daniel Watts, sat in the public gallery wearing blue ribbons. |