NATHAN MATTHEWS HAS been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his step-sister Becky Watts.
The 28-year-old man will spend at least 33 years in jail.
His girlfriend, Shauna Hoare (21), was found guilty of the 16-year-old girl’s manslaughter and has been sentenced to a 17-year term.
The pair were found guilty of her killing by a jury after a five-week trial on Wednesday.
Prosecutors claimed they killed the teenager in a pre-planned, sexually motivated, brutal attack on 19 February – a day before a massive search was launched by police in Bristol.
For almost two weeks, Matthews and Hoare lied and misled investigators probing Becky’s disappearance.
Matthews had gone to Becky’s home on 19 February and strangled her to death in her bedroom before stabbing her 15 times.
He – along with Hoare – drove her body to their home in another part of the city. Over the next few days, they set about the depraved task of dismembering Becky’s remains, enlisting friends to help hide her body parts in a shed at a different property in Barton Court – where she was eventually discovered by police.
Becky’s family has requested she be remembered as the “beautiful, happy, funny, feisty, caring, loyal and witty girl” they knew, and not as the person she was portrayed as in court or for the horrific way she died.
Speaking after the sentencing at Bristol Crown Court today, Detective Superintendent Mike Courtiour said he hopes the sentences will bring some comfort to the families and wider community affected by the “horrific events”.
“Matthews and Hoare have never shown any remorse for their grotesque actions and today’s sentences reflect their refusal to take full responsibility for their callous crimes,” he told reporters.
“Our thoughts remain with Becky’s family and friends who have suffered unimaginable pain and distress over the past nine months.”
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