Murder of Becky Watts: Difference between revisions
Clean up duplicate template arguments using findargdups |
Cyberbot II (talk | contribs) Rescuing 1 sources. #IABot |
||
Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
==Trial, verdicts and sentences== |
==Trial, verdicts and sentences== |
||
The murder trial began on 6 October 2015 at [[Bristol Crown Court]]. It was the [[Prosecutor|prosecution]]'s case that Watts was suffocated in her bedroom during an alleged "sexually-motivated" kidnap plot carried out by Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Becky-Watts-Sexually-motivation-8220-grotesquely/story-27939162-detail/story.html|title=Becky Watts: Sexual motivation to “grotesquely executed plan” to kidnap Bristol teenager|publisher=''[[Bristol Post]]'' |date=7 October 2015 |
The murder trial began on 6 October 2015 at [[Bristol Crown Court]]. It was the [[Prosecutor|prosecution]]'s case that Watts was suffocated in her bedroom during an alleged "sexually-motivated" kidnap plot carried out by Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Becky-Watts-Sexually-motivation-8220-grotesquely/story-27939162-detail/story.html |title=Becky Watts: Sexual motivation to “grotesquely executed plan” to kidnap Bristol teenager |publisher=''[[Bristol Post]]'' |date=7 October 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20151220134356/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk:80/Becky-Watts-Sexually-motivation-8220-grotesquely/story-27939162-detail/story.html |archivedate=December 20, 2015 }}</ref> Matthews admitted killing Watts, but denied committing murder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3134724/Becky-Watts-killing-Stepbrother-Nathan-Matthews-s-girlfriend-Shauna-Hoare-charged-murdering-16-year-old-Bristol.html|title=Nathan Matthews' girlfriend Shauna Hoare charged with Becky Watts' murder – Daily Mail Online|work=Daily Mail|accessdate=9 October 2015}}</ref> He instead claimed [[manslaughter]], telling the court that he had tried to kidnap Watts as a way of scaring her into changing what he perceived as her bad behaviour, but the plan went wrong and he accidentally killed her.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/becky-watts-murder-trial-stepbrother-6682351|title= Becky Watts murder trial: Stepbrother sobs and begs police not to read out confession |work=The Mirror|accessdate=28 February 2016}}</ref> Hoare, who also denied murder, said she had no knowledge of or involvement in Watts' death, describing messages she had exchanged with Matthews about kidnapping schoolgirls in the months beforehand as just "unfortunate" and "sarcastic".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-34700044|title=Becky Watts trial: Shauna Hoare's kidnap texts 'were sarcastic'|work=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=2016-06-17}}</ref> |
||
On 11 November 2015, however, a jury rejected their accounts, finding Matthews guilty of murder and Hoare guilty of manslaughter. Both were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Watts, perverting the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial by dismembering and hiding her body, and possession of two [[Electroshock weapon|stun guns]].<ref name="Verdicts">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3313899/Stepbrother-girlfriend-guilty-killing-schoolgirl-Becky-Watts.html|title=Becky Watts verdict: Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare guilty of killing|work=[[Press Association]]|accessdate=2016-06-17}}</ref> Two men, James Ireland and Donovan Demetrius, were cleared of assisting an offender, which related to the moving and storing of packages containing Watts' body parts. Donovan's brother Karl Demetrius and his girlfriend Jaydene Parsons had admitted the same charge at an earlier pre-trial hearing, though both insisted they did not know the true contents of the packages.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34790804|title=Pair guilty of Becky Watts killing|work=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=2016-06-17}}</ref> |
On 11 November 2015, however, a jury rejected their accounts, finding Matthews guilty of murder and Hoare guilty of manslaughter. Both were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Watts, perverting the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial by dismembering and hiding her body, and possession of two [[Electroshock weapon|stun guns]].<ref name="Verdicts">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3313899/Stepbrother-girlfriend-guilty-killing-schoolgirl-Becky-Watts.html|title=Becky Watts verdict: Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare guilty of killing|work=[[Press Association]]|accessdate=2016-06-17}}</ref> Two men, James Ireland and Donovan Demetrius, were cleared of assisting an offender, which related to the moving and storing of packages containing Watts' body parts. Donovan's brother Karl Demetrius and his girlfriend Jaydene Parsons had admitted the same charge at an earlier pre-trial hearing, though both insisted they did not know the true contents of the packages.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34790804|title=Pair guilty of Becky Watts killing|work=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=2016-06-17}}</ref> |
Revision as of 12:31, 23 June 2016
Becky Watts | |
---|---|
Born | Rebecca Marie Watts 3 June 1998 Bristol, England |
Disappeared | 19 February 2015 |
Died | 19 February 2015 Bristol, England | (aged 16)
Cause of death | Murder by suffocation |
Occupation | Student |
Parent(s) | Tanya Watts and Darren Galsworthy |
Rebecca Marie "Becky" Watts (3 June 1998 – 19 February 2015) was a 16-year-old student from Crown Hill in the St. George area of Bristol, England, who went missing on 19 February 2015 and whose dismembered body was found on 3 March in Barton Court.[1]
In November 2015, Watts' stepbrother, Nathan Matthews, was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 33 years; Matthews' girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, was found guilty of her manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years. Both were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Watts, preventing a lawful burial by dismembering and hiding her body, perverting the course of justice, and possession of two stun guns.[2][3]
Investigation
Following a highly publicised appeal for information on her whereabouts and intensive police enquiries, body parts believed to be Watts' remains were discovered on 3 March 2015, in a house at Barton Court in the Barton Hill area of Bristol.[4][5]
Several people were arrested in connection with her murder, and for perverting the course of justice.[6] On 4 March, Watts' stepbrother Nathan Matthews was charged with her murder.[7] On 6 March, four other people were charged with assisting an offender, having been accused of helping to hide or dispose of Watts' body parts. A fifth person, a 23-year-old man who was also arrested on 2 March, was released without charge.[8] On 22 June, Matthews' girlfriend 21-year-old Shauna Hoare, who was originally charged with perverting the course of justice, was also charged with murder. Matthews and Hoare were also charged with conspiracy to kidnap, preventing lawful burial and possession of an illegal weapon. The pair were also charged with four counts of making indecent images of children, although these were unrelated to Watts' murder. Matthews was also charged with sexual assault and voyeurism, which also were unrelated to Watts' murder.
Trial, verdicts and sentences
The murder trial began on 6 October 2015 at Bristol Crown Court. It was the prosecution's case that Watts was suffocated in her bedroom during an alleged "sexually-motivated" kidnap plot carried out by Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare.[9] Matthews admitted killing Watts, but denied committing murder.[10] He instead claimed manslaughter, telling the court that he had tried to kidnap Watts as a way of scaring her into changing what he perceived as her bad behaviour, but the plan went wrong and he accidentally killed her.[11] Hoare, who also denied murder, said she had no knowledge of or involvement in Watts' death, describing messages she had exchanged with Matthews about kidnapping schoolgirls in the months beforehand as just "unfortunate" and "sarcastic".[12]
On 11 November 2015, however, a jury rejected their accounts, finding Matthews guilty of murder and Hoare guilty of manslaughter. Both were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Watts, perverting the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial by dismembering and hiding her body, and possession of two stun guns.[3] Two men, James Ireland and Donovan Demetrius, were cleared of assisting an offender, which related to the moving and storing of packages containing Watts' body parts. Donovan's brother Karl Demetrius and his girlfriend Jaydene Parsons had admitted the same charge at an earlier pre-trial hearing, though both insisted they did not know the true contents of the packages.[13]
On 13 November 2015, Mr Justice Dingemans sentenced Matthews to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years and Hoare to 17 years in prison. In his sentencing remarks, the judge agreed with the prosecution's belief that the planned kidnap was for a "sexual purpose", telling Matthews he had "a fixation with having sex with petite teenage girls" and that he believed Hoare had been "persuaded to participate in this fixation."[2]
The judge began to sob as he neared the conclusion of his sentencing remarks. He said: "Finally I should like to pay public tribute to the family of Becky for the dignified way in which they have conducted themselves throughout these proceedings" and then continued: "Hearing the evidence during the trial has been difficult for anyone but it is plain that it has been an immense burden for the family." There were tears in his eyes and he left the court quickly.[14]
On 5 February 2016, Demetrius and Parsons were sentenced after admitting assisting an offender. Demetrius was sentenced to two years imprisonment while Parsons was given a 16 month prison sentence.[15]
Post-trial events
Watts' father, Darren Galsworthy, has released a memoir which talks about his daughter's life, her murder and the subsequent criminal trial. Titled Becky: The Heartbreaking Story of Becky Watts, it was published by Harper Collins in March 2016.[16]
In February 2016, a wooden bench was unveiled in her memory, located at Goat's Field close to her home in Bristol. The bench was carved by Andy O'Neill and funded by the Neighbourhood Watch Partnership.[17]
References
- ^ "Becky Watts stepbrother and his girlfriend guilty of killing". BBC News. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ a b "Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare jailed for Becky Watts killing". BBC News. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Becky Watts verdict: Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare guilty of killing". Press Association. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Becky Watts: Body parts found at Bristol house". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Becky Watts Missing Update: Body Parts Discovered In English Girl's Disappearance". International Business Times. 3 March 2015.
- ^ "Becky Watts' Stepbrother And His Girlfriend Shauna Hoare Arrested Over Her Murder". Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ Steven Morris. "Becky Watts: stepbrother charged with murder". The Guardian.
- ^ "Becky Watts murder: Four in court over body parts". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Becky Watts: Sexual motivation to "grotesquely executed plan" to kidnap Bristol teenager". Bristol Post. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Nathan Matthews' girlfriend Shauna Hoare charged with Becky Watts' murder – Daily Mail Online". Daily Mail. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ^ "Becky Watts murder trial: Stepbrother sobs and begs police not to read out confession". The Mirror. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ^ "Becky Watts trial: Shauna Hoare's kidnap texts 'were sarcastic'". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Pair guilty of Becky Watts killing". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ Steven Morris (13 November 2015). "Becky Watts murder trial judge cries as he passes sentence | UK news". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Becky Watts murder: Karl Demetrius and Jaydene Parsons jailed". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ Hannah Ellis-Petersen (22 January 2016). "Becky Watts's father to write memoir about daughter's murder". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Becky Watts bench unveiled at Bristol park". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- 1998 births
- 2015 deaths
- 2015 crimes in the United Kingdom
- 2015 in England
- 21st century in Bristol
- 2010s missing person cases
- Murder in 2015
- Crime in Bristol
- Crime in Somerset
- History of Bristol
- Missing person cases in the United Kingdom
- Murder in England
- Murdered English children
- Formerly missing people found deceased
- Crime stubs