Becky Watts murder: stepbrother sentenced to 33 years

The stepbrother of Becky Watts has been sentenced to a minimum of 33 years behind bars for her murder.

The evidence showed that Nathan Matthews, 28, had a fixation on having sex with petite teenage girls and tried to kidnap his stepsister for "a sexual purpose", said the judge, Justice James Dingemans.

Matthews murdered 16-year-old Becky in Bristol in February this year, suffocating her, dismembering her body and hiding her remains in a shed. His girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, 21, has been sentenced to 17 years for manslaughter. Dingemans described Hoare's denials as "obviously dishonest".

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ITV correspondent Rupert Evelyn said there was an "extraordinary moment" in court when the judge appeared "overcome with emotion" as he thanked Becky's family for the way they had handled themselves throughout their ordeal.

The court had discussed whether Matthews should face a whole-life tariff, reserved for Britain's most notorious killers, such as Moors murderer Ian Brady and "Yorkshire Ripper" Peter Sutcliffe. However, Matthews' lawyer argued that his crime did not meet the level required for that sentence.

In a victim impact statement, read out at Bristol Crown Court this morning, Becky's father Darren Galsworthy described his daughter's murder as a "despicable act of evil".

He tried to put into words the moment that he and his wife Anjie found out Becky had been killed: "When the news came our entire world collapsed. I can't describe the searing pain and anguish Anjie and I felt when Becky was found. The only way I can describe it is like being cast off a cliff into despair."

ITV's Rupert Evelyn said Matthews was "shaking and snivelling" in the dock with his head down and "never looked up as his victims statements were read to the court".

Becky Watts's killers likened to Fred and Rose West

12 November

The couple who killed Bristol teenager Becky Watts and hid her body parts in a shed have been likened to notorious serial killers Fred and Rose West.

Becky's stepbrother, Nathan Matthews, 28, was yesterday convicted of murdering the 16-year-old in February this year. His girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21, was convicted of manslaughter.

In court, Matthews was accused of being obsessed by violent teenage pornography. He is believed to have watched a film titled 'Virgin teen gets raped in own house' before he throttled Becky in her bedroom and then dismembered her body, says the Daily Telegraph.

He repeatedly denied that his girlfriend Hoare – who was just 14 when they first met – had anything to do with Becky's death, but the couple did not convince the jury.

Illogical motives

During questioning by police, Matthews described himself as an "emotionally unstable psychologically disturbed metrosexual Neanderthal".

He did not duck the wide-ranging and sometimes explicit questions in court – he even tried to "explain the almost inexplicable", says Sky News correspondent Tom Parmenter. "But after hours of evidence his motives still seemed unclear, confused and illogical."

He wasn't "cold or immune" to what he had done, says Parmenter. Several times he broke down in tears and in his "soft Bristolian accent he went on to describe the barbaric act of cutting up the teenager's body with a circular power saw as a 'surreal' experience".

Rare relationship between killers

Stuart Kirby, a professor of policing and criminal investigation at the University of Central Lancashire, said the case was similar to the Wests, who killed numerous young women in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, because there was a "strong relationship" between the two killers. "Each one covers for the other until there were so many clues police began digging into their background," he told the Daily Mirror.

"It is certainly very rare. Here you have Matthews as a dominant person in the relationship and [Hoare] defers to his fantasies and does what he says. They became embroiled in this and step beyond the point of no return."

Violent pornography debate

Matthews's conviction will focus attention once more on the threat posed to women and children by the viewing of violent pornography and sexual abuse online, says The Guardian. Matthews's name will be added to the list of killers who also appeared to be inspired by extreme pornography and abuse images, such as Mark Bridger, who killed April Jones, Stuart Hazell, who killed Tia Sharp, and Jamie Reynolds, who took the life of the teenager Georgia Williams.

A 'hurricane and sunbeam all at once'

Becky's family have spoken publicly following the convictions. Her father, Darren Galsworthy, revealed that Becky's first word as a baby had been the name of her stepbrother, "Nathan". Galsworthy, who had chosen his stepson to be his best man at his wedding in 2013, said he had been left devastated by his daughter's death. His wife, Nathan's mother Anje, told The Sun: "I love the son I gave birth to – but not the monster he became. I hate him for what he has done."

Outside court yesterday, Becky's mother Tanya Watts, her grandmother Pat and brother Danny described Becky in a statement. "She was a beautiful, happy, funny, feisty, caring, loyal and witty girl," they said. "She was like a tornado, hurricane and sunbeam all at once."

Becky Watts: stepbrother Nathan Matthews guilty of murder

11 November

The stepbrother of Becky Watts – the 16-year-old whose remains were found in a shed in Bristol earlier this year – has been found guilty of murder.

Nathan Matthews, 28, of Hazelbury Drive, Warmley, South Gloucestershire, had admitted killing his step-sister but denied murder, claiming her death was an accident.

He told the jury that he had gone to Becky's house with tape, a mask, a stun gun and handcuffs, planning to kidnap her to "teach her a lesson" for the way she allegedly treated his mother. However, there was a struggle and he suffocated her.

Matthews drove Becky's body back to the home he shared with his girlfriend Shauna Hoare and dismembered it in the bath, before moving her remains to a nearby shed. Becky disappeared on 19 February and her remains were not found until 2 March.

Prosecutors argued that the kidnap plan was sexually motivated and accused Matthews of having an unnatural interest in petite teenage girls, reports the Bristol Post. They pointed to the fact that Matthews's phone and computer had been used to access pornography focused on teenagers and young women dressed as schoolgirls.

His girlfriend Hoare, 21, of Cotton Mill Lane, Bristol, was acquitted of murder, but convicted of manslaughter, conspiracy to kidnap, perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial. She always denied any involvement, and said messages sent to Matthews discussing a kidnap were just sent to placate him after he was violent towards her.

In one message, Hoare wrote: "Just went into Costcutter and saw a pretty petite girl. Almost knocked her out to bring home lol xoxo"

A message from Matthews 20 seconds later said: "Don't you 'almost' me ... Now DOIT b*****!!!xxxxx"

Matthews previously admitted perverting the course of justice, preventing the burial of a corpse and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Becky Watts: stepbrother charged with murder

05 March

The stepbrother of 16-year-old Becky Watts has been remanded in custody charged with murder after appearing at Bristol magistrates' court for just one minute.

Nathan Matthews spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. He was told that he will appear via video link before Bristol crown court on Friday. The 28-year-old was unshaven and wearing a blue t-shirt, The Guardian reports.

"As we all know, this case will have to go to the Crown Court," the judge told Matthews. "I cannot entertain any application for bail this morning and thus I will remand you in custody until tomorrow."

Matthews arrived handcuffed to a female dock officer and was led away immediately after the hearing ended.

His girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21, also known as Shauna Phillips, subsequently appeared in the crowded court room and was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice. She was also remanded in custody and, like Matthews, will appear before Bristol Crown Court on 2 April.

Matthews and Hoare share the same Cotton Mill Lane address, and were arrested by police at the weekend.

Four other men and one woman are still being questioned by police on suspicion of assisting the offender, the BBC reports.

Becky was last seen on 19 February and was reported missing the following day. Two days ago, police found body parts at a house in Barton Hill in Bristol, two miles from Becky's home.

Floral tributes, stuffed toys and cards from well-wishers have been left at the site where the body parts were found, as well as at Becky's family home.

Becky Watts: stepbrother questioned over kidnap and murder

04 March

The stepbrother of the Bristol teenager Becky Watts and his girlfriend are being questioned by police after having been taken into custody at the weekend.

Police have been given an extra 24 hours to question Nathan Matthews, 28, and his girlfriend Shauna Phillips, 21, on suspicion of kidnap and murder, the Guardian reports. Four other men and one woman have also been taken in for questioning on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Police investigating the sixteen-year-old's disappearance found body parts at a house in Bristol two miles from Becky's house, the BBC reports.

Detective Superintendent Mike Courtiour, of Avon and Somerset Police, said that a house in Barton Court in the Barton Hill area had been searched after police received new information.

"The information suggested that Becky's body had been cut up and a search at the new location resulted in the discovery of body parts," he said.

According to the Guardian, the Barton Court address is about 100 metres from Becky's 17-year-old boyfriend's house in Cotton Mill Lane.

Police are said to be looking into information that Becky may have gone to see her boyfriend the day she disappeared. They are also reportedly focusing attention on an address on the opposite side of the road and a third address five miles away in the Southmead area of Bristol.

Officers are scouring CCTV footage to try to find images of Becky in the hours after she went missing. They have also been tracking the movements of a black Vauxhall Zafira.

In a statement released by police, Becky's father, Darren, and stepmother, Anjie Galsworthy, described the discovery of body parts as horrific. "To receive such news about our dear daughter and stepdaughter Becky is too much to bear. We have the support of a good family network to help us in these challenging times. We would ask that you treat Becky with the due reverence and allow us to come to terms with our grief in private."

In a separate statement Becky's mother, Tania, brother Daniel and grandmother Pat said: "We are devastated to be told of this latest development. We are at an utter loss to understand why anyone would want to hurt our beautiful Becky in such a brutal way.

"We are grateful to the police for all they have done and are continuing to do in this investigation. Whilst there are people in custody, none of whom are connected to the Watts family, we will not be making any further comment and we ask that our privacy is respected at this horrific time."

Floral tributes have been left near the house in Barton Court. One read: "Becky, you will be sadly missed but never forgotten."