Murder of Becky Watts

Rebecca Marie Watts, known as Becky Watts, was a 16-year-old student living in St George, Bristol. She was last seen at her home at 18 Crown Hill on the morning of 19 February 2015 by her step-mother, Anjie Galsworthy, who left for a hospital appointment shortly after 11:15. Watts was reported missing the following afternoon. Her phone, laptop and tablet were missing from the house, but she had not taken money or clothing, and had told no one she was leaving.

Avon and Somerset Police launched a public appeal on 22 February 2015, and Watts's father and grandmother made a televised appeal for her return the next day. An online campaign under the hashtag "#FindBecky" spread widely on social media. Searches were conducted across several Bristol neighborhoods, including Barton Hill, Southmead, St George's Park and Troopers Hill, supplemented by volunteer searches and house-to-house inquiries. Police also sought information about a black Vauxhall Zafira seen in the area.

Initial investigation focused on statements from step-brother Nathan Matthews and his girlfriend Shauna Hoare, who were in the house at the time Watts disappeared and said they had heard a door slam but not seen her leave. On 28 February 2015, Matthews and Hoare were arrested in connection with the disappearance, and on 2 March they were re-arrested on suspicion of murder. On 3 March, Watts's dismembered body was discovered at a property in Barton Court, Barton Hill. Matthews was charged with murder on 4 March, and four other individuals were later charged with assisting an offender for allegedly helping hide or dispose of the remains. Hoare was subsequently charged with murder on 22 June 2015, alongside charges of conspiracy to kidnap, preventing lawful burial, and weapons possession; both she and Matthews also faced unrelated charges involving indecent images of children, and Matthews faced additional unrelated charges of sexual assault and voyeurism.

The trial began on 6 October 2015 at Bristol Crown Court. Prosecutors argued Watts was suffocated and then stabbed 15 times during a sexually motivated kidnap plot, after which her body was dismembered over several days using a knife and circular saw, with remains hidden in a neighbor's shed. Matthews admitted killing Watts but claimed it was manslaughter resulting from a kidnap plan gone wrong, insisting Hoare was not involved. Hoare denied any involvement in the killing or dismemberment. The prosecution presented CCTV evidence of the pair's purchases of batteries, a circular saw, and cleaning products in the days surrounding the killing, along with DNA evidence linking both to items found with the remains.

On 11 November 2015, the jury convicted Matthews of murder and Hoare of manslaughter; both were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap, perverting the course of justice, preventing lawful burial, and possession of stun guns. Two other men were cleared of assisting an offender, while two others had earlier pleaded guilty to the same charge. On 13 November 2015, Matthews was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years, and Hoare received 17 years. The Court of Appeal rejected their appeals on 23 June 2016. Hoare was released on 1 September 2023 after serving half her sentence.