Becky

by Darren Galsworthy

Despite being a bag of nerves, I couldn’t help but laugh when Andrew Langdon’s closing speech described Shauna as a ‘survivor’ who’d had to learn how to deal with Nathan. He reminded the jury that there was a lack of DNA evidence against her. (Her DNA had been found on a facemask and two of the bin bags, but the defence claimed that it could have been transferred there by innocent means.)

  He said that if they did not find Shauna guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, then they could not find her guilty of murder. He then added, ‘I’m not asking you to feel sorry for her, although if she’s innocent, she has, in any view, had a wretched few months. No intelligent person listening to this case can make their minds up on half the evidence. I leave my client in your hands. She’s at your mercy now, as they say.’

  As I walked out of the courtroom that day, my head spun and I felt sick. The fates of Nathan, Shauna, James Ireland and Donovan Demetrius were now in the hands of the jury. What if they got away with murder? What if we failed to get justice for my Bex?

  Sarah squeezed my arm as we walked.

  ‘This is it,’ she said. ‘Now we wait.’

  Chapter 15

  Verdict and sentencing

  As soon as I opened my eyes on Wednesday, 11 November 2015, a sense of trepidation washed over me. I heaved myself out of bed and went downstairs to put the kettle on, my mind already focused on the day ahead. As I waited for it to boil, I couldn’t stop thinking about how vital it was to my family that the jury made the right decision. I was pretty certain that Nathan was going to be found guilty of murder, but I wasn’t so sure about Shauna. Her lawyer had done a pretty good job of portraying her as a helpless victim – something I was sure was false. In fact, I found the whole charade of her defence to be despicable and infuriating.

  I mulled things over, growing more and more anxious, until it was time to get Anjie out of bed and ready for court. As I carefully pinned my pale-blue bow to my jacket, my hands were shaking, and I told myself to get it together.

  Sarah arrived shortly before Ziggy came to pick us up. She wanted to travel to court with us, as she knew how nervous we were.

  When we pulled up outside, there was a sudden burst of flashing lights from the photographers’ cameras. I was used to being snapped from afar as we went in and out of the court, but this time the sheer number of reporters, photographers and television crews outside the building was overwhelming. As we walked in, I kept my head down and refused to comment.

  In the court, we met up with Sam, my dad and Denise, and Danny and his girlfriend, Sarah. Courtney also came to hear the verdict, as well as Tanya and Pat. Our faces were masks of apprehension.

  Danny had the same worry as me – that Shauna would go unpunished.

  ‘I really hope she doesn’t get away with it, Dad,’ he said.

  ‘I know, son,’ I replied, putting my arm around his shoulder. ‘Me too.’

  The judge, Mr Justice Dingemans, gave his final instructions to the jury to help them make a decision, and he told them that there was no time pressure. At around 10.30 a.m., they retired to consider their verdict.

  ‘How long do you think they’ll be?’ I asked Ziggy as we walked out.

  ‘Could be anything from a few hours to a few days,’ she replied. ‘We’ll just have to wait.’

  While we waited for the verdicts to come back, Anjie and I were interviewed by Mike Ridley, a reporter from the Sun, because we had agreed to talk to the paper exclusively about what we had been through. We were aware that if the jury returned guilty verdicts we would also be required to give a statement on the court steps. Sarah and Sam volunteered to write ours for us, and my dad also wanted to say something.

  At around 2 p.m., Ziggy came to tell us that the jury were ready to give their verdicts. Nobody had expected them to be so quick in reaching their decision, and we had to rush back to the courtroom. We arrived just as the jurors were filing in, and, as I sat down with Anjie on my right-hand side and Sarah on my left, I was trembling with nerves. Sam sat in front of us and reached back so he could place his hand on top of Anjie’s and mine. Sarah also held my left hand tightly. I felt a little better with my family sitting so close around me, and I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself as I watched the judge speak to the jurors.

  Nathan and Shauna were both in the dock, standing very still.

  ‘Have you reached a verdict?’ the judge asked the jury foreman.

  ‘Yes,’ the foreman replied, rising from his seat. He passed an envelope to the judge, who opened it, read its contents and nodded.

  Then the court clerk asked the foreman for the jury’s verdict on both Nathan and Shauna on the first charge, conspiracy to kidnap. His answer was a clear ‘guilty’. I let out a sigh of relief. They hadn’t been taken in by Shauna’s claims to know nothing about it.

  ‘In relation to charge two, the murder of Becky Watts, how do you find the defendant Nathan Matthews?’ the clerk asked.

  ‘Guilty,’ the foreman replied.

  ‘Yes!’ I shouted, at the same time as Sam and Sarah. There were cheers and clapping in the public gallery, where our supporters were sitting, and the judge had to call for order. I was so relieved the scumbag was being sent to prison that it took me a moment to notice Anjie sobbing quietly. I squeezed her hand and reminded myself to rein it in a bit for her sake. Nathan bowed his head in the dock, staring straight at the floor.

  ‘In relation to the same charge, the murder of Becky Watts, how do you find the defendant Shauna Hoare?’ the clerk then asked.

  ‘Not guilty,’ the juror replied. ‘Guilty of manslaughter.’

  A low murmur echoed around the court as everyone tried to work out what this meant. We knew that Shauna would still be going to prison, but she wouldn’t get the same sort of sentence that Nathan could expect. However, at that point I was just grateful that she wasn’t being let off the hook completely. Tears started filling my eyes, and I willed them not to fall.

  The jury also found Shauna guilty of perverting the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial, and possession of a stun gun. Nathan had already pleaded guilty to those charges. Donovan Demetrius and James Ireland were both found not guilty of assisting an offender.

  After all the verdicts were delivered, Shauna dabbed at her eye with a tissue, but otherwise appeared emotionless.

  The next few minutes were a blur as we hugged each other, trying hard not to cry. When I looked around I could see relief etched across Jo and Ziggy’s faces too. Our family liaison officers had had to be strong for us all over these months, and it was easy to forget the strain they had been under. Jo had even postponed her retirement from the force so she could get us through the trial, and I was incredibly grateful to her for that.

  The judge announced that he would sentence Nathan and Shauna two days later, on Friday 13 November. After everyone had left the courtroom, there was a flurry of hugs and handshakes. One person whose hand I was keen to shake was Detective Superintendent Mike Courtiour, the senior investigating officer on Becky’s case. Time stood still as we thanked countless people for their help and determination to get the right verdict.

  Soon, it was time to give our statements on the court steps. As we shuffled slowly outside, the press formed a crescent shape in front of the court so that every photographer and reporter could get a good view of us. I suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline and a wave of nausea at the same time.

  Mike Courtiour stepped forward to address the press first.

  He said, ‘I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Becky’s family and friends, who have shown the utmost composure and dignity during what has undoubtedly been the worst period of their lives.

  ‘Becky Watts was a typical teenager who was well loved and, like most teenagers, had many plans and hopes for the future. Tragically, Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare have made sure these hopes and dreams will never be realised.

  ‘Matthews and Hoare concocted a heinous plan to kidnap his stepsister Becky for reasons they have failed to
fully disclose, other than that she occasionally left items on the floor which could have tripped up Matthews’s mother. The body of evidence, however, has suggested a more sinister motive relating to their deep-seated hatred for Becky and their twisted sexual desires.

  ‘On 19 February this year, the pair carried out their macabre plan, which resulted in the murder of Becky at her home in Crown Hill, Bristol. They then took her body back to their home in Cotton Mill Lane and began the horrific and grotesque task of dismembering her over a matter of days. It’s virtually impossible to comprehend this level of depravity.

  ‘In the following days, Matthews lied and misled the police then recruited a number of associates in a bid to conceal Becky’s body and prevent us from discovering what happened to her. Karl Demetrius and Jaydene Parsons were involved in assisting Matthews with his attempt to hide Becky’s body parts in a shed in Barton Court in a number of bags, cases and a box.

  ‘After we arrested Matthews, he quickly realised it was only a matter of time until we found Becky and had sufficient evidence to charge him. This led to him admitting to killing her and telling us where he had hidden her body. By this time, our search teams were already in close proximity to the Barton Hill address, and I believe it was only a matter of hours until we would have searched the shed.

  ‘Although he admitted manslaughter, Matthews has never taken full responsibility for his actions, and he has forced Becky’s family and friends to endure the additional trauma of a lengthy and extremely distressing trial. Hoare has never admitted her role in any capacity, demonstrating her cold-blooded and calculating nature.

  ‘This investigation was one of the largest in the force’s history, with over 500 officers utilised throughout its entirety. Our primary aim was always to find Becky safe and well – but Matthews and Hoare had already made sure this was never going to happen.

  ‘Nothing will ever fill the void in the lives of Becky’s family and friends, but we hope that these verdicts can finally bring them some much-deserved comfort.’

  Then Barry Hughes, the chief crown prosecutor for the South West, stepped forward.

  ‘As we reviewed the evidence they gathered, it became clear not only that Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare had conspired to kidnap Becky Watts, but that their actions were motivated by their own sexual interests,’ he said.

  ‘Throughout the trial, Matthews maintained that he had killed Becky by accident during a bungled “prank” to kidnap her. Having heard details of Becky’s injuries, as well as the cold and calculated way in which he attempted to dispose of her body, the jury has today found him guilty of murder. Shauna Hoare claimed that she knew nothing of Matthews’s plans or actions, that she had no involvement in Becky’s death or the concealment of her body. Again, the jury found the evidence did not support these claims, and she has been found guilty of manslaughter.

  ‘Unable to complete the task at hand without additional help, Matthews and Hoare recruited Karl Demetrius and Jaydene Parsons, both of whom will now be sentenced for assisting an offender, for their unwitting part in concealing Becky’s body.

  ‘Matthews and Hoare have never expressed any remorse for Becky’s death, demonstrative of the callous way they took a young woman’s life just as she was starting to plan her future.’

  Then it was time to give the family statements. I felt light-headed, and I reached down to squeeze Anjie’s hand as Tanya’s family liaison officer, Detective Constable Liz Cousins, gave a statement on behalf of Tanya, Pat and Danny.

  ‘We wish that Becky was still alive,’ Liz read. ‘Instead, we have spent the last five weeks hearing evidence about how she came to be killed by someone who she regarded as her own family.

  ‘We loved Becky and knew her better than most. We can tell you that she was a beautiful, happy, funny, feisty, caring, loyal and witty girl. She was like a tornado, hurricane and sunbeam all at once. She came into your life and made you feel alive.’

  Their statement finished with a message to other parents, urging them to cherish the time they have with their children.

  Then my dad stepped forward to speak to the cameras. I draped my arms around Anjie, who was in front of me in her wheelchair. She still looked completely stunned by the whole thing.

  My dad thanked the police, the jury and everyone who had supported us, before he said, ‘We know collectively you have cried for us, remembered us and prayed for us. When we have weakened, you have been our strength. When the weight of this evil has wounded us so much, you have helped us to stand strong and tall again. What an incredible force for good you have all been.

  ‘Now the formalities have been concluded, we can start the process of rebuilding our lives – lives which will never, ever be the same, but that have been defined for all of us. And that has, of course, and will forever include our Becky.’

  I almost cried at my dad’s words. They conveyed exactly how grateful I was to everyone who had supported us.

  Finally, it was Sam’s turn to speak, and he stepped forward nervously. Sarah stood next to him, linking his arm. We stood behind them as the photographers snapped away.

  He said, ‘Justice has been done for our beautiful Becky. We would like to record our enormous gratitude to Avon and Somerset Police, in particular the major crime investigation team, whose professionalism and perseverance secured this outcome.

  ‘We would also like to thank our family liaison officers, who have been amazing throughout this whole process. From the day Becky died, the kindness shown to us by the people of Bristol and wider has been immeasurable. For this, we will always thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

  ‘For us, as a family, today is not the final chapter in this tragedy, but now we can at least begin the challenge to rebuild our lives. Thank you to everyone who has walked this journey with us.’

  The flashbulbs and questions continued long after Sam stopped speaking, but there was nothing more to say to the press for now.

  The following day passed in a complete blur as we processed the fact that Nathan and Shauna would be going to prison for Becky’s death. Even though it was a victory, it was incredibly bittersweet. Nothing was ever going to bring Becky back to us. Nonetheless, that night and the following night, I slept better than I had for many months.

  I woke up bright and early on the morning of Friday, 13 November, anxious to find out how long Nathan and Shauna would serve in prison. We all arrived at the court, knowing that it would be the last time we would set foot in there, and hoping that they were both going to be put away for a very long time. Karl Demetrius and Jaydene Parsons were due to be sentenced at a later date.

  Before Mr Justice Dingemans made his decision on the sentence, both Nathan and Shauna’s barristers would have one last chance to speak. I had also been asked to write a victim-impact statement to read out. It took me three hours as I struggled to convey how much Becky’s murder had affected me. It was almost impossible to put into words how much the pair of them had destroyed our family, but I did my best in the hope that it might influence the judge in his sentencing.

  I had geared myself up to stand and read it myself, but at the last minute I decided that I couldn’t go through with it, so Sam agreed to read it for me. I didn’t want to stand there telling everyone how my world had collapsed, knowing that Nathan was listening to my every word. It was a longer statement than the one read out on the steps of the court, and I had done my best to word it so that the judge would understand how Becky’s death had obliterated our lives.

  Sam looked at me and nodded before he stood up and started to read out the statement I had written.

  ‘My name is Darren Galsworthy and I am the father of Rebecca Watts, now known as “Bristol’s Angel”,’ Sam began, as the room fell silent. ‘Our Bex was a child who, through no fault of her own, needed constant reassurance, love and cuddles in her formative years. She soon clung to my wife, Anjie, who became not only a doting mother, but Becky’s best friend. Anjie’s love was so immense nobody lost out. It
didn’t matter that we were a mish-mash of gene pools, we were a strong loving family who shared and supported each other.

  ‘We will never understand why this happened, but we now believe we were just disposable pawns in a plot borne out of hatred, jealousy and greed. The heartless, cold and calculating perpetrators of this despicable act of evil can never be forgotten or forgiven. This act of violence sent shockwaves through not only our family, but the whole country.

  ‘When the news came that two people had been arrested and it was now a murder inquiry, our entire world collapsed. Police informed us that body parts had been found, and then we were told who did it. I simply don’t have the vocabulary to describe accurately the searing pain and anguish Anjie and I felt at that time. The only way I can describe it is like being cast off a cliff into a bottomless depth of despair and non-belief. These family members sat in our home knowing what they had done, and watched my very public descent into madness and despair. They said nothing and carried on with the pretence of helping us, showing no emotion at all.

  ‘We would not have got this far if not for medication and unyielding support from the community of Bristol. The betrayal we feel is insurmountable. It would have been much kinder to have killed us all, than to have to cope with the aftermath of this crime. I’ve had to watch my loving wife’s daily decline in her ability to function or to do the easiest of tasks. She is now solely reliant on me to get through each day.

  ‘We both feel we are just marking time until our demise. Everything beautiful in our lives has been ripped from us in one selfish act of violence. We can’t go outside the house without people pointing at us or making comments they believe we can’t hear. Not only did they cruelly rob Becky of her life, they also took her dignity in death, and did all this on Danny’s birthday.

  ‘When I close my eyes to go to sleep, I see Becky’s death over and over again. I see what they did to my child. I hear her cry out: “What are you doing?” Then I feel her terror as she realises they are not going to stop and she is about to die. I feel her heart racing. I see all this, and I am powerless to help her. All too frequently, I awake drenched in sweat and physically shaking. Becky was so small and fragile, she never stood a chance.