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‘Evil monster’: UK man pleads guilty to killing wife, chopping her in 224 pieces
Nicholas Metson, a 28-year-old resident of Shuttleworth House in Lincoln, has admitted to murdering his wife. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.
A UK resident, also being dubbed as the ‘evil monster’, killed his wife by stabbing her and then cut her body in over 200 parts before dumping it in a river a few days later.
The body parts of Holly Bramley were found in the UK's River Witham in March 2023.
Nicholas Metson, a 28-year-old resident of Shuttleworth House in Lincoln, has admitted to murdering his wife. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.
The Lincoln Crown Court heard that Metson took the help of his friend, Joshua Hancock, and offered to pay him £50 to dispose of his wife's remains after they had been hidden in their shared flat for nearly a week, BBC reported.
Judge Simon Hirst was informed during the sentencing hearing on Friday that Metson never explained how and why he killed his spouse.
The testimonies of Bramley's mother and siblings, which were read out in the court, revealed that the 26-year-old was subjected to “coercive control and manipulation” and that the couple's marriage had “broken down irretrievably”.
As mentioned in the court, the couple got married in 2021 and were on the verge of separation when Metson murdered Bramley.
What happened?
Prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC told court that on March 24, 2023, the Lincolnshire Police were called to the couple's flat due to a concern regarding Bramley's welfare. However, when they reached the flat the next day, they witnessed an overwhelming smell of ammonia and bleach, a towel on the floor in the kitchen and bloodstained sheets in the bathtub, BBC reported.
Investigators discovered evidence suggesting recent attempts at redecoration and cleaning within the apartment. Moreover, the police identified several large, dark stains on the bedroom floor, which were later confirmed to be the victim's blood, according to Aspden.
During the investigation, Metson claimed that his wife had been abusive towards him, showing the officers a bite mark on his forearm. He also stated that she had left their home on March 19 with a local mental health support group.
As per Aspden, Metson lied to law enforcement officers on several occasions after the murder. As per BBC, Aspden said in court, “At one point Mr Metson joked she might be hiding under the bed,”
A walker discovered floating plastic bags in the River Witham at Bassingham and one of these bags contained a human hand, Aspden said. Divers recovered 224 remains of Bramley's body but some of her body parts were never found.
The prosecutor told the court that it seemed like Bramley was stabbed multiple times in her bedroom, was then moved to the bathroom where she was allegedly dismembered and was then stored in a larder, which is used to store food products in the kitchen.
Aspden said that the bite mark on Metson's hand “suggests she was being restrained in a headlock”, BBC reported.
In the aftermath of the murder
After the murder took place, Metson is said to have withdrawn £50 from the bank.
He also searched several questions on the internet like "What benefits do I get if my wife has died" and “Can someone haunt me after they die”, BBC reported.
CCTV footages were played in the court. One of the footage showed Bramley going to her flat on March 17, when she was last seen. Another footage showed Metson using the lift of the flat wearing a rucksack and moving bags from the 14th floor to the ground floor early on March 25.
During the sentencing
Speaking to Metson directly, Bramley's mother Annette Bramley said that he 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.
She added that since Metson was controlling and coercive, the family couldn't see Holly even in the years before she died.
Metson denied charges earlier
The court proceedings revealed that Metson had a history of convictions for offences against his previous partners, dating back to 2013, 2016, and 2017.
Furthermore, Metson earlier admitted to conspiring to pervert the course of justice by disposing of Bramley's remains.
Initially, Metson had denied the murder charge, but he later changed his plea to guilty when he appeared before the Lincoln Crown Court last month.
On February 23, the Lincolnshire police said in a statement, “A 28-year-old man from Lincoln has pleaded guilty to murder. Nicholas Metson, 28, of Shuttleworth House had previously denied killing Holly Bramley (latterly Metson) after her body was discovered in Bassingham in early 2023. But Metson has now pleaded guilty to the charge at a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court today, Friday, 23 February. He will appear before officials for sentencing on 5 April. 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. Hancock had previously denied the charge. He will also be sentenced on 5 April.”
