A 28-year-old British man stabbed his wife to death and then cut her into 200 pieces before dumping the remains in a river, police said.
Nicholas Metson, 28, of Shuttleworth House had previously denied killing Holly Bramley (latterly Metson) after her body was discovered in Bassingham in early 2023, said Lincolnshire Police in a statement.
He has admitted to the murder and is due to be sentenced on Monday (April 8, 2024).
A second man, Joshua Hancock, 28, of Walnut Close in Waddington, also pleaded guilty to disposal of a corpse with intent to obstruct or prevent a coroner’s inquest at the same hearing, police said in a statement.
He had also previously denied charges.
During Friday’s hearing, Judge Simon Hirst was told Metson never gave a reason behind the killing of Holly Bramley.
Victim impact statements read out in court by Bramley’s mother and siblings indicated the 26-year-old had been subjected to ‘coercive control and manipulation’ by the ‘evil monster’ and their marriage had “broken down irretrievably”, reported BBC.
The court heard that the couple was married in 2021 but they were on the verge of separation ahead of the incident.
Prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC told the judge that Lincolnshire Police were called to the couple’s flat on 24 March 2023 because of a concern for Bramley’s welfare, reported BBC.
After officers visited the home, they found a strong smell of ammonia and bleach, bloodstained sheets in the bathtub and a towel on the kitchen floor.
There was evidence of recent redecoration and cleaning. The police also spotted a number of large dark stains on the floor in the main bedroom, which later turned out to be Holly’s blood, Aspden was quoted as saying by BBC.
Police found Metson had told lies to officers.
Police returned to the flat later to conduct searches.
“At one point Mr Metson joked she might be hiding under the bed,” said Aspden.
The following day a walker “made a grim discovery” when he noticed plastic bags floating in the River Witham at Bassingham, one of which contained a human hand, he said as quoted by BBC.
After murdering his wife, Metson 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”.
