Becky Watts murder: Nathan Matthews given 33 year sentence 

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Becky Watts murder: Nathan Matthews given 33 year sentence

Judge in tears as he pays tribute to family of murdered Bristol 16-year-old

Photographs issued by Avon & Somerset Police of Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare, who were sentenced on Friday for the murder of Becky Watts, 16, at Bristol Crown Court. Photograph: Avon & Somerset Police/PA Wire.

An undated handout photograph issued by Avon and Somerset Police of Becky Watts. Photograph: Avon and Somerset Police/PA Wire.

Stepmother of Becky Watts and mother of Nathan Matthews, Anjie Galsworthy, sits in her wheelchair accompanied by Becky Watts’ father, Darren Galsworthy, (L) as Sam Galsworthy reads a statement to the media outside Bristol Crown Court. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images.

A man has been told he will serve at least 33 years for the murder of his stepsister Becky Watts (16) in England.

Nathan Matthews was sentenced to life in prison for the killing and his girlfriend, Shauna Hoare (21), will serve 17 years’ for the manslaughter of the teenager.

Trial judge Mr Justice Dingemans was in tears as he started paying tribute to Becky’s family at the end of his sentencing remarks.

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Matthews (28) and Hoare targeted Becky due to their shared dislike of her and their interest in petite teenage girls. They devised a plan to kidnap Becky from her home in Crown Hill, Bristol, and drove there on February 19th while she was alone.

Detectives say the truth about what happened to Becky that morning may never be known but a pathologist found she died of strangulation. Becky suffered more than 40 injuries to her body as she bravely fought for her life against Matthews, who the court heard was obsessed with porn, and his partner.

After her death, the pair dismembered Becky with circular saw in the bathroom of their home in Cotton Mill Lane — about 3km away.

They callously laughed as they watched a parody of a Disney Frozen song, entitled Do You Want To Hide A Body, while Becky’s remains lay nearby.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court took just three hours and 27 minutes to convict Matthews of Becky’s murder, while Hoare was found guilty of the teenager’s manslaughter.

Both were convicted of kidnap, perverting the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial and possessing two stun gun torches.

Passing sentence, the judge said: “I am sure, on the evidence that was adduced at the trial, that the planned kidnap of Becky was for a sexual purpose.

“It is apparent involving as it did her proposed abduction for a sexual purpose but in my judgment it does not require a whole life order in the circumstances where Nathan Matthews had been of previous good character and had directed the police after a long delay to Becky’s remains.

“This is not in any sense to diminish the loss suffered by Becky’s family.

The judge said the behaviour of Matthews and Hoare in feigning concern with the family as they “desperately searched and looked for Becky is a further and serious aggravating feature”.

“In my judgment the appropriate sentence for Mr Matthews is a mandatory life sentence with a minimum term of 33 years,” he said.

“This means that Mr Matthews, as a 28-year-old man, will be 61 before he might be considered for release and the reality is that he might never be released.”

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