Aftermath and Legacy

Hello there, and welcome to Murder Most British. I'm Zach Hey, welcome. I'm Rachel A nice sunny day today It's beautiful day out there. No Very nice Spring has sprung and summer's on its way.. Thank goodness. this winter has felt It's felt long Definitely Well, my darling, are you ready for the next one Oh, um Very much, so Oh. 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It helps other people discover what we do here You'll find all of our socials, discord, and more in the link tree in the description below Your support helps keep the archive open and ensures that no story is ever forgotten this episode contains discussion of abduction, sexual violence and murder It also includes references to sexualised material involving teenagers present it during the trial. Some listeners may find this content distressing The listener discretion is strongly advised. So let's get to this story teenage bedroom bllinds half drawn against the morning light A wardrobe door slightly ajar Shoes line neatly along the wall Nothing smashed Nothing disturbed Just the ordinary stillness of a room Where a sixteen year old lives? She had texted her boyfriend that morning Affectionate, routine Nothing that sounded like a goodbye By the following day She had not come home There was no carefully packed suitcase No empty drawers No note How does someone disappear from a place that felt so normal Stt George sits on the eastern edge of Bristol A residential district of terraced houses and small parks where routines rarely change. Frown Hill was one of its ordinary streets lined with family homes and parked cars In february twenty fifteen Number eighteen, Crown Hill blended easily into its surroundings Nothing about it suggested what was coming. It was simply a house people returned to at the end of the day. Rebecca Walz, or Becky to those who knew her Born on the third of june, nineteen ninety eight. By the time she was sixteen She lived at eighteen Crown Hill, with her father Darren Gallsworthy and her stepmother, Angie. Becky's parents had separated when she was very young. but remained on good terms. Becky had an older brother, Daniel, and the two grew up in Darren's care. Darren later formed a relationship with Angie And over time the blended household settled into a steady familiar routine Andngie was living with multiple sclerosis a condition that increasingly affected her mobility Daily life included medical appointments and practical adjustments Shaunna Hore. The girlfriend of Angie's son, Nathan Matthews, helped care for Angie and visited most days Matthews twenty eight also came and went regularly presence at Crown Hill was routine and unremarkable Part of the established pattern of the household And just for anybody that doesn't know Shanwna's surname is H O A R E. so it is pronounced like a hor frost. Yeah Um it's one of those really old English names type thing or you just like That sounds weird nowadays But, you know Yeahes. so if whenever we say horror, we're not Disparaging her in that way. Yeah definitely And we wouldn't do that Yeah. so Although Matthews remained part of the household routine, the dynamic between him and Becky was not consistently warm As adults, their contact was limited and largely practical. The family later described an undercurrent of tension that surfaced in small ways Matthew's criticizing Becky for leaving items where Angie might trip and her reacting badly to being corrected He believed she relied too heavily on Angie's attention the friction rarely escalated beyond argument But it existed And it was long standing I mean,, get like get the worry, you know, if things are being left around in sort of awkward places where you know, his mum obviously has issues with U Mobility mo trying to sort maneuvver around safely. Yeah. that you know, it would be a worry, but Sose it's how you Um, It's not what you say, it's how you say it. Yeah. you know, so if he If you run in screams about it. if you run in scream you do? You know, just a reminder canan you make sure, you know, things are picked up or out of the way. So ye. Yeah. it cause tense tension between them, I think. Yeah. Well, Becky's early teenage years had not been without difficulty experienence bullying at school and struggled with low self esteem and an eating disorder pereriods her family later described as dark and frightening With support at home and through education services, she gradually regained stability By sixteen, she had changed schools, built a close circle of friends, and begun to feel more secure in herself place in the world She was in a steady relationship with seventeen year old Luke Oberhansley The two texted constantly as the teens do. Yep. They neverever off their phones. Y If Becky was awake, She replied quickly Her phone was central to her life. Messages, social media ongoing conversations that rarely pauseed for long If she stayed somewhere overnight She told somebody silence from Becky was unusual When it happened It was noticed As with many, I think, you know You would Definitely know people's patterns and know their behaviourors and comoming and going Increasingly in contact they are with people or not So you would definitely notice if someone was less Oh, yeah. I mean everybody has making contact with people. Everybody has a pattern of some sort And once they you're like, well, wait a minute, usually that she's here out the norm. Yeah Well, on Wednesday, the eighteenth of feebruary of twenty fifteen Becky attended a party at a rugby club at the Stt George area with a friend Afterwards, she stayed overnight at his house Early the following morning On Thursday the nineteenth of February, she returned home arriving around eight thirty AM after her front door key jamed in the lock. and she knocked to be let inside It was half term, the day ahead appeared unremarkable Becky spent the morning in her bedroom, messaging Luke at eleven o three AM She sent what would become her final confirmed texts. Shortly afterwards, Angie left for a scheduled doctor's appointment Not long after Angie departed Nathan Matthews and Shaana Horr arrived at their house with their two year old daughter for what they later described as a routine visit accccording to their accounts. Music was playing from Becky's room They would later say that around eleven thirty AM the music stopped They heard footsteps down the stairs, the front door slammed They assumed Becky had gone out Well, by mid afternoon, Luke had grown uneasy Becky had stopped replying His calls went straight to voicemail And at around five PM he walked to Crown Hill to check on her Matthew's Black vauxel sahira was parked outside And Hall answered the door Becky wasn't there No one in the house could say where she had gone It wasn't unusual for Becky to stay with friends during the holidays And through Thursday evening the family tried to hold on to that possibility By Friday afternoon, the twentieth of Fbruary Concerns shifted to alarm Becky had not accessed social media She had not replied to any of her friends. She had not contacted anyone. Friends gathered at the house Darren left work and came home Becky's phone, laptop and tablet were gone along with a small selection of clothing including a blue puffer style jacket Other essentials remained Charging cables, money, her purse, toiletries There was no sign of forced entry, no obvious disturbance Nothing to suggest prereparation for a permanent departure Well with no idea where she was, Darren sent Becky's friends home and went door knocking nearby. But no one had seen her He then called police and reported Becky missing. That evening around five fifty three PM on Friday the twentieth of february Darren posted an appeal on Facebook asking for help to find his daughter Matthews was involved in helping to draft the appeal and select the photograph used The message spread rapidly across Bristol and beyond Police attended the address that night and a missing person inquiry formally began Darren had phoned repeatedly and leaving messages asking her to get in touch Her phone remained off Darren's messages shifted in tone as the hours passed At first they were simple Becky Can you call me back and let me know where you are But as the silence continued Fear hardened into something darker In one voicemail, he stopped speaking to Becky altogether and addressed whoever might have taken her If you have my daughter Let her go or I will kill you Let my daughter go I want my girl back in one piece Kill anyone who hurts my daughter. It was the sound of panic collapsing into fury. Yeah, I'll get that being a parent, I think You're just going to go through every emotion because you're you're trying to think, oh, you know is She'll be around, you know she's just obviously gone off and doing her own thing and just ignoring everybody Yeah You then shift into the panic mode thinking, well hang on a minute, the longer this goes on with no contact or not knowing where she is. you would step into, well, something bad has happened, you know She's been kidnapped or whatever you're going to be literally Well like think in the worst. Like with our daughter. No L she never charges her phone She'll go out and she like You she'll be halfway down the road. she leaves that I've got five percent. O I've got one percent or I've got five percent and I'm thinking. say, Well, you should tge your phone before you go out Yeah know,ll she'll roll out there with a one percent charge on her. Oh yeah. So it's one of those things where it's like, oh well her phone's off. But after like a day, you're like, well, this is she should been having say her turn up at someone's house like a friend's and, you know, it's the constant nothingness. Yeah. Constant silence Well anyway Over the weekend Public appeals intensified Officers conducted house to house inquiries and gathered CCTV from surrounding streets On Monday, the twenty third of February Darren and Becky's grandmother stood before cameras and urged her to make contact to come home or simply just to let someone know that she was safe As Darren spoke, his composure followered His voice broke mid sentence and Becky's grandmother stepped forward to continue the appeal. It was a brief moment replayed repeatedly on local news The message was unchanged, but the strain was visible offfficially Becky Watts was a missing sixteen year old girl But her last confirmed activities sat at eleven o three AM on Thursday morning. Luke had Becky saved as My princess. D The last message mentioned a red hoodie. followed by kisses thenen a second text saying, She was at home listening to music And then the silence that followed did not behave ordinary teenage space It behaved like absence To understand what happened, we need to return to the morning of Thursday the nineteenth for February Becky was in her bedroom with the music playing Nathan Matthews went upstairs and knocked on her door Acording to Matthew's account later, When she opened the door, he was wearing a mask and carrying items intended to restrain her tape, handcuffs and a stun gun What followed unfolded at or near the doorway of her bedroom Becky fought and a struggle took place. Matthews overpowered her and held his hand over her mouth and nose until she stopped braving The music stopped, there was no movement on the landing, then silence. Jesus That's crazy. And then as we go through this, I'm just sitting here thinking back So after she disappeared He was helping him. Post appeals. Yeah, a a lot of people do that and I find it's It is so Horrible. So evil. Yeah. So evil because you know what's going clearly trying to if they they think to themselves, oh, well if I you know, if I help, then people are not going to look at me as a suspect You know It's just absolutely disgusting blood staining marked the inner edge of Becky's bedroom doorf frame. Low to the ground mid level and higher along the frame Becky's phone, laptop, and tablet were gathered from her broom along with selected clothing Later, her body was placed into a bag Carry downstairs and loaded into the boot of Matthew's car When Angie returned home around twelve forty five PM. The house appeared unchanged Becky was no longer in her room Matthews and H were still there Later that afternoon, when Luke called at the address asking if she was home and no one could say where she' had gone As anxiety about Becky's whereabouts began to build inside the house, Matthews and Hore later watched television there as if nothing had happened By evening, Matthews and Hor left Crown Hill as usual. Becky's body was still in the boot of the car back at their home on Cotton Mill Lane Paul and Matthews ordered a takeaway and spent the evening playing a Simpsons themed version of Monopoly My God No u I just didn't give a shit. No remorse, no acknowledgement of what they've done, no panicking, no Just just like some well, that shit happened, I guess. Well You wantna Chinese takeaway, you know? let's play mononopoly terrible Later that night Becky's body was taken into the flat. moved upstairs and placed in the bathroom prerevent anyone entering. Drain cleaner was poured into the toilet and the door was locked with the explanation, He was blocked overver the following days. tools and cleaning materials were brought into the flat in the bath. Becky's body was dismembered using a circular saw The parts were tightly wrapped in cling film and plastic bags Some packed with kitchen salt and cat litter. thenen placed into suitcases and a blue plastic box Pieces of her broken phone were later recovered among the stored items. Cothing shoes and cosmetics placed with them. Oh go God, man, how can you do? L I can never understand that. How can I But Like with, you know, like going hunting season for deer and that and you shoot der and you take it back and whatever This's is not the same for me. I don't know how somebody can mentally Do that? Yeah you know, cope with doing that and Someone you know, someone that you've grown up with whatever. Really? I mean doesn't matter. But especially in this case. Yeah. someomeone you know You've been around her for years and years now And you're able to just do that. That is beyond crazy to me. Oh It reminds me of back of that case that we covered with in stockfold Oh yeah, yeah Bless her. But yeah, no absolutely abhorrent, absolutely disgusting In the early hours of the twenty fourth of February The luggage and the blue plastic box were loaded into a van Matthews enlisted several acquaintances to help him move the heavy bags, including Paul Demetrius and James Island The van travelled a short distance across Bristol to a property at Barton Court, where Donovan Demetriis and Jadden Parsons were present The suitcases and box were carried through the house and placed inside a garden shed at the rear By the evening of Friday the twentieth of February twenty fifteen. Avon and Somerset pololice had opened that missing persersons inquiry into the disappearance of Becky Watts. early inquiries focused on whether she had left voluntarily, whileile detectives began house to house inquiries gathering the CCTV from surrounding streets and shops and reviewed her recent phone and online activity. But very quickly certain details caused concern Becky's social media activity had stopped completely And her usual messaging patterns with close friends and her boyfriend had fallen silent. Yeah, especially if she's constantly just like our like our daughter, she's just if she lost her phone? Yeah I mean, I don't constantly message people and people can, you know, do always get back to them some stage, you know, after within a couple of hours or so, so I'm not instant message backer, you know, as soon as I see a message come through. I'm not like, oh these young but these young inss. Yeah there are just tr through tap tap tap all the time, you know, messaging fifty from people. I mean, TikTok flipping usage, you know, they're always on there for scrobing through. so you know, liking things. So there is some sort of activity with teenagers and younger adults U So it would be definitely out of the norm. although her phone and laptop were gone too Neither device showed normal usage after eleven o three AM on the Thursday Friends described her as someone who checked in constantly Thursday the nineteenth of February became the divide in line the last confirmed point at which her life followed its usual rhythm Search activity escalated across St. George and neighboring areas Officers combed Troopers's Hill Nature reserve, while divers searched the lake at St. George Park. Mounted units covered woodland paths as a police helicopter circled overhead Mutual aid was requested from Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Devon, and Cornwall Dog units assisting from South Wales pololice at its height More than five hundred officers were involved carrying out hundreds of door to door inquiries and searching dozens of buildings across the area, in one of the largest missing person investigations in Avon and Somerset Police. had ever handled or public appeals followed within days. Posters bearing Becky's photograph appeared in shop windows and on lamp posts across Bristol Her father, Darren and her grandmother spoke to the media, urging her to make contact Social media amplified the search as well During one organized search, a grey Toshiba laptop was discovered in a woodland area briefly raise in hope. before police confirmed it was unrelated to Becky's disappearance. Oh man that sucks Chief insspector Richard Aon. later said did not believe this was simply a runaway teenager Wh the public message remained cautious and focused on locating Becky alive, Internally, investigators began narrowing their attention to the final confirmed warning and to those who had been inside the house at Crown Hill The working assumptions shifted quietly, from voluntary absence to foul play. That would not be something that they would advertise. They're like, Hey, u Yeahay I don't think this is we need to start looking at all these people that were there same time. Yeah. personersally, I think that should be the first thing that they do anyways. because they are or could be the last ones that saw her. So You know, it's probably delve into that a bit more Proably by what I'm thinking would be is like, let's say you have ten ten officers. Yeah. You say, you you couple of officers, you're doing this part You guys are going to check in with these people And then you're going to check these people You know, you're covering all the bases all at once. Yeah, no, definitely All officers interviewed those closest to Becky, including her step brother Nathan Matthews and his girlfriend Shaunna Haw been present at Crown Hill on the nineteenth of Fbruary Aranging formal interviews proved difficult, though. On one occasion, police were told that the pair were unavailable because they had plans to go out for a meal adding to detectives unease When they did attend, detectives later described Hw as giggly and light hearted And Matthews as relaxed at times joking Now I can't come in and talk to you about You know, my missing stepsister Um We're going out to eat. They just show no interest whatsoever. They just didn't give a shit and then they probably just didn't want to go in there either Oh, yeah, they don't want to be given the questions and u then break to pressure of the questions and possibly give themselves up. Oh yeah. So Cor said she had heard music from Becky's room before stepping outside for a cigarette For fifteen to twenty minutes. You must have had five in about that time Yeah,' take it. Does't it?'t take that. Don't take that. twenty minutes to smoke a cigarette that's going burn down within You know, five minutes. Yeah. Especially in February, you're not gonna stand out there in the cold for twenty minutes just to smoke a cigarette. No. Well, she also later described hearing stomp, stomp, stomp down the stairs and the front door slam assuming Becky had left in a tantrum Matthews gave a closely matching account the same music stopping, the same door slam, and the same assumption that she had just gone out Sounds reasonable, right Yeah, apart from the red flag for me is that she had a cigarette for fifteen to twenty minutes out in what would have been Qite cold Yeah, D But yeah, so other than that Every else that they're saying. could have been a possibility Well anyway, as interviews continued, searches expanded to addresses linked to both Matthews and H B Foxl sahira connected to Matthews became a vehicle of interest. with its movements checked against CCTV and witness accounts Officers treated each property as a potential final point of contact establishing timelines and examining anything that might account for Becky's disappearance When officers attended the flat on Cotton Mill Lane, The interior was heavily cluttered. Rooms were filled with discarded furniture, broken appliances, rubbish in takeaway containers with narrow pathways cut between piles the air carried a strong odor of cat waste. Oh, the worst like cats. Yeah When we had cats. Oh Jesus The litter box and just the smell of cat urreine. I love cats, but I don't think I'll ever It's harmonia, isn't it? rancid Well, upstairs, however, the bathroom appeared markedly different in a flat otherwise clogged with clutter and grime The bath was empty and clean And the surrounding services looked recently wiped Contrast was immediate. Suspicious. Yeah. H hike This is a dump, but this b goes to this right from it's like spotless. and like bloody hell, you know, be an o. Why't whyy ist the rest of the house not like this You may like living in fils, but man, you have a good clean bath I am Well officers also recovered the boot liner from Matthews's Vouxal Zaphira with hairs on it, hidden inside an oven in the bathroom Yes There was an oven in the bathroom Jesus Another this was another sign that items linked to the transport of Becky's body had been removed and concealed. At Crown Hill, forensic officers examined Becky's bedroom and hallway. Faint red staining was identified on the door frame leading into her bedroom. with marks at varying heights and finger impressions visible within the staining Laboratory analysis confirmed the blood belonged to Becky Within that blood, a fingerprint was identified. as Nathan Matthews Placing him in contact with a blood marked surface at the threshold Jam. For detectives, it was a crucial turning point. There was now evidence that she had been harmed inside her own home The investigation shifted from missing in person inquiry to suspected kidnapping On the twenty eighth of february of twenty fifteen Matthews and Hore were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Officers emphasized that preserving life remained the priority in case Becky was still being held somewhere Both were taken into custody while searches intensified at eighteen Crown Hill and fourteen Cotton Mill Lane The detectives were granted extended time for questioning as forensic results continued to arrive Receipts recovered during searches established a sequence of purchases. On the Friday the twentieth of February, Matthews visited BNQ and brought a McAallister circular saw gloves, goggles and a face mask Pausing in the oil before querying the price at the tal On the twenty first of feebruary, rubber gloves, bleach and three rolls of cling film were purchased at ASdA on the twenty second of February Reinforced rubbish bags, duct tape, and additional cleaning products were bought from a ninety nine p store Digital analysis added further context Deleted exchanges between Matthews and Hore, discussing kidnapping scenarios involving teenage girls Messages in the months before Becky's disappearance referenced Binging back schoolgirls. and remarks about almost, quote knocking one out Investigators also established that the two stunn devices later recovered from the Cotton mill Lane flat had been bought online by horr weeks earlier reinforcing the case that the attack had been planned in advance Then on the morning of the nineteenth of February Shortly before the pair arrived at Crown Hill Batteries compatible with the stung guns were purchased at a Tesco Express Yeah, it's definitely a premeditated scenario. Yeah But whileild detectives built a clearer picture of the events lead not to Becky's disappearance also revisited the dynamics inside the Crown Hill household During police interviews, Matthews returned repeatedly to grievances he had expressed within the family for years He described Becky as selfish and spoiled Aguing that she demanded too much attention from their mother place strain on Angie's health Investigators noted that these complaints were not new Family members had previously described similar tensions between the two Conflicts that had existed long before Becky had disappeared On the second of march twenty fifteen, after several days in custody Matthews provided a prepared written statement admitting responsibility for Becky's death Though he described it as unintended and did not implicate horror In subsequent interviews, he outlined what he claimed had happened after her death But detectives did not accept the account at face value and continued testing it against the forensic and digital evidence already secured. Yeah. This is the police. They're not going to, you know, just take your word for it. Oh, this is what happened. okay. Yeah corate like you know through forensics and stuff. Yeah But as the investigation widened, several other people connected to Matthews were also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. which included Cole and Donovan Demetriis and Jaden Parsons and James Island Officers search locations linked to Matthews and Hre. In a garden shed at Barton Court they found stacked suitcases and a blue plastic storage box. Inside were tightly wrapped packages The search ended any remaining uncertainty about Becky's fate. Among the items recovered, a tweety T shirt found in one of the spotted suitcases had a high DNA match for Shauna Hall indicating that she could have been its usual wearer Forensic testing also found not only her DNA, but traces of her makeup on the inside of one of the face masks. Jeez definitely involved. Yeah. and I'm just like with these people that helped them, it was like Did they know you know, Do they know what was wrapped in these things in the like, Hey, man, can you help me? Terry, just don't don't ask anything about him Don't don't what's what's in donon't look in u Just leave Mu shed for me for a while H No No thank you You can take that shit and go on down the road. Especially if they've got their own house. and why why would you approach, you know, some friends of yours and say, o, can you store this here You know? You you forgot your own house in Golden Mhm Well, Nathan Matthews and Seaan Hor were charged with murder. Conspiracy to kidnap perverting the course of justice prereventing lawful burial and possession of prohibited weapons, namely the stun guns disguised as torches The trial opened at Bristol Crown Court in October of twenty fifteen Matthews admitted unlawful killing but denied murder and conspiracy to kidnap Horr pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy to kidnap The central issue in the case was intent and joint participation Yeah, I definitely think there is intent, one hundred percent Oh that was premeditated for sure something of some of like some degree, yeah.. Yeah. they plann there was days ahead She bought the stun guns months before or weeks before, sorry Um It wasn't like you went down to the store. definitely had intention of doing doing something, whether or not they intended it to be Becky or just some random teenager from off the street. you know they did have intention to hm somebody somebody. So ye. The Jurors heard Matthew's account on the nineteenth of Fbruary He claimed Becky's death had not been planned and insisted he intended only to kidnap her to teach her a lesson driven by resentment over how he believed Becky treated his mother He said he wore a mask which slipped during a struggle and that he strangled her in panic What followed, he suggested was escalation rather than design. His case rested on loss of control, not premeditated murder Medical evidence challengeed that version The pathologist concluded that the likely cause was suffocation Consistent with sustained pressure over Becky's mouth and nose That finding contradicted Matthews account that he had strangled her Injuries to Becky's arms and hands were consistent with attempts to defend herself during the attack, And the overall pattern of injury indicated a violent struggle. Extensive bruising and injuries to her neck were described as forceful and prolonged. In total More than forty injuries were recorded including fifteen stab wounds inflicted after her death Crown argued that level of violence was inconsistent with a brief panic undermined Matthews's account. of accidental escalation. hundred percent of great ch. Oh yes. There's no way and once she hadd passed, you know and took her last breath How are you still in a panic mode? U'm and you're just still, you know, you stab her multiple times, not just once, you know, multiple times That is not al escalation Yeah. Ato, no way Well, the jury also heard that Matthews had previously served in the Army Reserve where training covered decontamination procedures and strict cleaning standards requiring areas to be left spotless prosecutors raised this as context for the condition of the bathroom at Cotton Mill Lane not as evidence of specialist forensic expertise Well, the prosecution contended that the attack formed part of a planned kidnapping with a sexual motive Although there was no separate rape charge, They argued the attention behind the abduction was sexual Jurors were shown text messages exchanged between Matthews and Hore in December of twenty fourteen In one exchange, Matthews wrote Bring me back two pretty school girls then Hor replied, Yeah, I will just kidnap them from school Well l that' f growross Later that day, Hor messaged Matthews that she had seen a a very pretty petite girl and had almost knocked her out to bring home. Matthews responded Don't you almost me now do it Prosecution argued these conversations showed the idea of abducting teenage girls had been discussed. months before Becky's death Supporting the crown's case that the kidnapping plan was deliberate rather than impulsive Yeah Sickos sick Prosecutors also presented material recovered from Matthews's digital devices Police had identified hundreds of sadistic images and more than twenty pornographic videos Much of the material found adult performers presented as teenage girls In the hours before Becky's death Matthews had accessed a video titled Virginine gets raped in own house The crrown argued that the video contained elements they said echoed aspects of the attack and supported their case sexual motivation The defense maintained that the material was lawful adult pornography and could not itself prove intent You Yes. Okay. But having that type of interest in that type of pornography It can sort of make you think and feel that Something's not quite right. I mean Yeah, especially if it has elements of the same thing that was just happened You're like, okay, well this it's not really a coincidence. Yeah, most definitely Well jurors were told that on the day of Becky's disappearance, a parody video titled, quote Do you want to hide a body which is a dark reworking of a song from the film Frozen had been accessed on Hor's phone She said it was a coincidence and intended as humor prosecution suggested the timing was harder to dismiss Well, the prosecution argued that Horror was not a passive bystander She had been present at Crown Hill on the morning of the killing and later accompanied Matthews during purchases of tools and materials CCTB showed them together in the shops. Her DNA was found on that face mask and a bag used in the concealment And forensic testing also identified traces of her makeup on the inside of that mask Crown maintained that this evidence pointed to participation rather than coincidence. Yeah Well Hall's defense contended that she was in a controlling relationship and did not share Matthew's intent couounsel argued that the messages were immature jokes and that pres the presents did not amount to agreement into a conspiracy. She denied involvement in the killing or dismemberment The jury had to determine whether her actions reflected fear and compliance or whether she knowingly joined in planned kidnapping that led to murder With all them text messages, I'm sorry, but ye Yeah, come on. And if you're going, you know, surely, I mean, with you, you're my husband. like I know what you're buying, why you're buying it, you know, like Yeah Did she not question like why he wants to buy a circulus or what sort of project are you going to be, you know, building with or cutting What would are you making to I mean? like Yeah. What are your needs for these items You know, she she knew Yeah, she knew that Witnesses described Becky as content and settled in the days before her death contradicting Matthew's portrayal of Smering resentment and tension Friends and her boyfriend gave evidence that there had been no escalating conflict prosecution argued the lesson explanation was retrospective pointinting to the scale of injuries and the sustained nature of the violence The judge directed jurors to assess Matthew's intend The moment force was applied rather than being influenced by his later confession Well, after around twenty one days of evidence, the jury retired They deliberated for just over three hours So not long at all. Yeah On the eleventh of november of twenty fifteen, the verdicts were returned Nathan Matthews was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to kidnap. also convicted of preventing lawful burial Perverting the course of justice and possession of prohibited weapons Shaunna Hw was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to kidnap along with the preventing laawful burial. Pvertting the course of justice and possession of prohibited weapons Vverdicts drew distinction between the killing itself and Hore's role in the kidnapping and events that followed Separate proceedings addressed those who had assisted in concealing Becky's remains Carl Demetrius and Jayen Parsons pleaded guilty to assisting an offender by helping store body parts in a shed and received custodial sentences of two years and sixteen months respectively Donovan, Demetrius and James Ireland were tried and acquitted Before sentence was imposed Becky's parents delivered victim impact statements Her father spoke of reoccurring nightmares in which he relivved his daughter's final moments and felt powerless to intervene He described a psychological toll that had altered daily life You referred to Matthews as A monster and spoke of the profound betrayal of a killing carried out within his own family. Becky's mother describes seeing her daughter in the m try and the ordinary reminders left untouched at home On the thirteenth of november twenty fifteen The judge sentenced Nathan Matthews to life imprisonment with a minimum term of thirty three years minimum term means that he cannot apply for parole until at least twenty forty eight And release at that stage would depend entirely on the parole board's assessment of risk. Sean Hore received a seventeen year sentence for manslaughter alongside concurrent terms for the other convictions that she received The sentences reflected the jury's findings on intent and participation The judge stated he was satisfied that the planned kidnapping had been for a sexual purpose It described the killing, dismemberment and subsequent deception as cruel and calculated Particular emphasis was placed on the lies told while Becky's family were publicly appealing for her safe return. The judge also rejected Ha's assertion of ignorance, concluding she had been aware of what was taking place In june twenty sixteen Matthews and Horr appealed against both convictions and sentences. The Court of appppeal constituted by Lady Justice Macur Mrs. Justice Nicola Davies and Judge Clement Goldstone dismiss the appeals in full. G Yeah, get fucked The court found no reasonable basis to conclude the convictions were unsafe and that the sentences were wrong in principle or manifestly excessive The original verdicts and minimum terms therefore remained in force. Good. Yeah. And this is the thing with appeals, you know, I mean they should if they put their appeal in The judges just look no, everything was fine. you know what I mean? Like Some people should be allowed to have appe like an appeal It's it's a right for everyone because there might have been something fishy or whatever and you do you do have a right. Yeah, which I get, you know, if there's proof of that, if you can prove that you've been treated they probably wouldn't put in there they always put something in there like Oh ineffective counsel Yeah is actually something just to try to appeal ye Yeah Ridiculous Just accept the fact you did it, you was found guilty of doing it and just serve your bloody time. And I say. bit harsh, aren't I? Yeah. I'd be harsh, Josh, I no. Anyway In the years that followed, formal safeguarding reviews were commissioned A saafeguarding Children's Bard review was completed in twenty eighteen by a domestic homicide review in twenty twenty The reviews identified that multiple agencies had contact with Becky, Matthews and Hor in the years preceding the murder However, Those agencies had not recognized that they were dealing with interconnected members of the same family Reports highlighted communication gaps but did not conclude killing had been foreseeable In September of twenty twenty three. after spending more than eight years in custody Shawnna Horre was released from prison on license She remains under supervision And any breach of those conditions was send her right back to prison At the time of this recording Matthews is still serving his sentence at HMP Long Larton in Worcestershire, England. in the months that following the trial Becky's father spoke publicly about the depth of his anger and grief At one stage, he said he wished the death penalty still existed and that he would carry it out himself. Yes, sir I mean, there should be that option, you know. In my view. I definitely think that you know the death penalty should be brought to the table and spoke about and maybe have a referendum on it and for some of the most heinous crimes, yeah. Most definitely.. His remarks reflected the intensity of his loss compounded by betrayal within his own family This had not been an attack by a stranger, it was a killing carried out within a household that had appeared ordinary from the outside Floral tributes were placed outside the family home on Crowned Hill and near Barton Court after Becky's remains were discovered The book of condolenence was opened at St. Ambrose's Church in St. George. where members of the community gathered quietly Avon and Somerset Police later acknowledged the profound impact case had on officers and residents. Becky's funeral took place on the seventeenth of april twenty fifteen at Stt Ambrew Church in Whitehall, Bristol. Hundreds of mourners lined the streets as a white horse drawn carriage carried her coffin to the church. Pink roses were placed along the route and many in the crowd wore t shirts bearing Becky's phograph Her family described the service as a celebration of her life Following the service, a private burial was held at Avonview Cemetery for close family and friends Yeah, I saw the pictures and that beaiful. It was absolutely beautiful. ably I got married with white horses so ye But when I die and have my funeral, I want black horses and a black age Yeah, so You're kind of weird. weird. I'm kidding. I want to be a very traditional funeral. Yeah. Everyone black, like Victorian. You know? I want everybody in color. Color and happy like cebrate likeike they said,, I want you celebrate mor in I wanted to be Chiston celebration and just be like, hey, you know what? we knew him. It was great, you know, that type of thing I'm very old school traditional like British You want it to be dark and raining And black lace headdress things for the women and no Just me black horses and yeah Hopy that Becky Watts is remembered by her family and friends as shy but fiercely loyal someomeone who loved music, animals, and cinema trips with her close friends. Her life ended inside the house where she should have been the safest but the memory of Baki. person she was before the headlines is the part her family and friends continue to hold on to Well that was the story of the murder of Becky Watts. Thank you for listening Thank you very, very much for listening. Yeah. Oh That' such a sad case. I mean, it was so young and ye, you know, she'd had a bit of a tough time with bullying from school And she'd come out of it. You know, she was starting wring. Yeahes, had a lovely boyfriend that really cared for her. Um, you know, just setting out towards adult life and Who knows where she would have gone with it, but is so sad, absolutely sad. And she was in the place where she should have been the safest. Yeah, I mean I think you feel They do say a lot of crimes happen by people that you know. It's such a sad situation when you know, all through growing up You believe your family are the safest people to be around And, you know, with that, genetically or Otherwise or like a blended family in IU. family's family. It also seemed like they they really had a good Like sometimes when you have that sort sort of step situation. Yeah. you know, the families don't really kind of blend very well, but it seemed like they were really good. Yeah they blended quite well growing up and then He seemed to just I suppose a touch of jealousy Yeah because she was had a good relationship with his mum. But I you know Either way, it's just such a sad sad case Thank you for listening. 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