NEW DELHI: A 28-year-old man identified as Nicholas Metson, from Shuttleworth House in Lincoln, stabbed his wife, Holly Bramley to death, cut her body into more than 200 pieces and dumps her remains in a river days later, with the help of a friend, Joshua Hancock.
Nicholas pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, whose body was found dismembered in the River Witham in March 2023.He confessed to a UK court that he paid his friend, Joshua, to dispose of the remains, which were kept hidden in their flat for almost a week.
Court sentence
During the court hearing at the UK court on Friday, Nicholas remained silent and didn’t gave a reason for how and why he had killed his wife.
Victim impact statements presented in court by Holly’s mother and siblings revealed the “coercive control and manipulation” she endured at the hands of the “evil monster”. The couple, who had tied the knot in 2021, was reportedly on the brink of separation when the heinous crime took place.
Prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC, informed court that concerns were raised about Holly’s well-being, leading Lincolnshire Police to visit the couple’s residence on 24th March 2023.
Suspicious activities
The investigators discovered disturbing evidence inside the flat, including a pungent smell of ammonia and bleach, bloodstained sheets in the bathtub, and suspicious cleaning activities, Aspden said.
Nicholas informed officers that his wife had been abusive towards him, displaying a bite mark on his forearm as evidence. He claimed she had left their home to join a local mental health support group on March 19.
“At one point Nicholas joked she might be hiding under the bed,” Aspden said. The bite mark on Nicholas arm “suggests she was being restrained in a headlock”, he added.
Police later discovered that Nicholas had deceived them, prompting them to return and search the apartment.
After murdering his wife, Nicholas withdrew £50 from her bank account and searched on the internet with questions such as “What benefits do I get if my wife has died” and “Can someone haunt me after they die”.
Grim discovery
A passerby made a “made a grim discovery” in the River Witham, when he noticed plastic bags floating in the River Witham, one of which contained a human hand, he said.
Despite the recovery of 224 remains, some parts were never found, leaving the family with unimaginable pain and grief.
As per Aspden, the 26-year-old was likely stabbed in the bedroom and then dismembered in the bathroom, with her remains stored in the kitchen larder.
Last moments captured
CCTV footage presented in court captured the last moments of Holly before her disappearance returning to her flat on 17 March, further the footage showed Nicholas’s suspicious activities involving moving bags from 14th floor to the ground floor in the early hours of 25 March.
Prior convictions
In court, Holly’s mother, Annette Bramley, addressed Nicholas directly, telling him he had condemned her family “to a life sentence of grief”. “The heinous way in which she was murdered and dismembered has left us in such unimaginable pain,” she said.
Bramley stated that Nicholas controlling and coercive behavior had prevented the family from seeing Holly in the years leading up to her death. The court was informed that Nicholas had prior convictions for offenses against former partners in 2013, 2016, and 2017.
Nicholas had previously denied murder, he later changed his plea to guilty during his appearance at a UK court last month.
(With inputs from agencies)
Nicholas pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, whose body was found dismembered in the River Witham in March 2023.He confessed to a UK court that he paid his friend, Joshua, to dispose of the remains, which were kept hidden in their flat for almost a week.
Court sentence
During the court hearing at the UK court on Friday, Nicholas remained silent and didn’t gave a reason for how and why he had killed his wife.
Victim impact statements presented in court by Holly’s mother and siblings revealed the “coercive control and manipulation” she endured at the hands of the “evil monster”. The couple, who had tied the knot in 2021, was reportedly on the brink of separation when the heinous crime took place.
Prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC, informed court that concerns were raised about Holly’s well-being, leading Lincolnshire Police to visit the couple’s residence on 24th March 2023.
Suspicious activities
The investigators discovered disturbing evidence inside the flat, including a pungent smell of ammonia and bleach, bloodstained sheets in the bathtub, and suspicious cleaning activities, Aspden said.
Nicholas informed officers that his wife had been abusive towards him, displaying a bite mark on his forearm as evidence. He claimed she had left their home to join a local mental health support group on March 19.
“At one point Nicholas joked she might be hiding under the bed,” Aspden said. The bite mark on Nicholas arm “suggests she was being restrained in a headlock”, he added.
Police later discovered that Nicholas had deceived them, prompting them to return and search the apartment.
After murdering his wife, Nicholas withdrew £50 from her bank account and searched on the internet with questions such as “What benefits do I get if my wife has died” and “Can someone haunt me after they die”.
Grim discovery
A passerby made a “made a grim discovery” in the River Witham, when he noticed plastic bags floating in the River Witham, one of which contained a human hand, he said.
Despite the recovery of 224 remains, some parts were never found, leaving the family with unimaginable pain and grief.
As per Aspden, the 26-year-old was likely stabbed in the bedroom and then dismembered in the bathroom, with her remains stored in the kitchen larder.
Last moments captured
CCTV footage presented in court captured the last moments of Holly before her disappearance returning to her flat on 17 March, further the footage showed Nicholas’s suspicious activities involving moving bags from 14th floor to the ground floor in the early hours of 25 March.
Prior convictions
In court, Holly’s mother, Annette Bramley, addressed Nicholas directly, telling him he had condemned her family “to a life sentence of grief”. “The heinous way in which she was murdered and dismembered has left us in such unimaginable pain,” she said.
Bramley stated that Nicholas controlling and coercive behavior had prevented the family from seeing Holly in the years leading up to her death. The court was informed that Nicholas had prior convictions for offenses against former partners in 2013, 2016, and 2017.
Nicholas had previously denied murder, he later changed his plea to guilty during his appearance at a UK court last month.
(With inputs from agencies)