Couple jailed over ‘sexual and sadistic’ homicide of Sarah Mayhew in London | London

A pair who killed a lady and dumped her dismembered physique in several elements of south London have been jailed for homicide.

Steve Samson was out of jail on a life licence for the homicide of a taxi driver in 1998 when he and his associate, Gemma Watts, killed Sarah Mayhew, 38, at his flat in Sutton final spring.

The homicide “concerned sexual and sadistic content material”, based on the choose on the Outdated Bailey, who sentenced Samson, 45, to life imprisonment with a whole-life order, which means he won’t ever be launched from jail.

Watts, 49, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimal time period of 30 years, and can spend the remainder of her life on licence if she is ever launched.

Each have been sentenced to 5 years for perverting the course of justice, to run concurrently.

Mayhew, who lived in New Addington, on the outskirts of Croydon, had met Samson on a relationship web site years earlier than.

She was by no means seen once more after she accompanied Samson again to his ground-floor flat at about 11pm on 8 March 2024, the place Watts – who was in a “kinky” relationship with Samson – was ready.

The choose, Mrs Justice Cutts, mentioned Mayhew “was an harmless lady lured to that flat to die”, including that the couple had killed her to behave out a “bloodthirsty and depraved fantasy”.

A stream of messages between Watts and Samson about bestiality, humiliation and inflicting damage was outlined at their sentencing listening to in courtroom.

“Previous to the homicide, the defendants had exchanged a variety of wicked messages … indicating a need on their half to kill victims while concerned in sexual exercise with them …” the prosecutor Tom Little KC advised the courtroom.

Their “wicked dialog about sexual exercise” advanced into greater than a fantasy, the courtroom heard.

The police investigation discovered that when Samson advised Watts that he was going to ask Mayhew to his house, Watts had replied: “Provided that it’s a deal she ain’t leaving in a single piece,” to which Samson replied: “OK”. Additional messages have been despatched that indicated a sexual and sadistic motivation, the police mentioned.

DNA exams discovered traces of Mayhew’s blood within the bed room and elsewhere in Samson’s flat.

It’s believed Mayhew was murdered on 8 March, the day she entered Samson’s flat. Two days later, Samson was captured shopping for a hacksaw, blades and a bucket. Watts was additionally seen on CCTV shopping for cleansing merchandise, together with bleach and scourers, and a silver incinerator bin.

“Having dedicated the homicide they then made very in depth efforts to pervert the course of justice over quite a lot of days,” Little advised the courtroom. He added that the homicide had been deliberate and premeditated.

Almost a month after Mayhew died, her stays have been found in Rowdown Fields in New Addington by a canine walker. Different physique elements have been discovered within the River Wandle in Mitcham.

Mayhew had two youngsters, aged 12 and 15 when she was killed, and had “the remainder of her life forward of her”, mentioned DCI Martin Thorpe, from the Specialist Crime Command.

In a sufferer impression assertion, Mayhew’s mom, Angela, mentioned of her daughter: “It breaks my coronary heart she just isn’t round.”

Her father, David, thanked the defendants for pleading responsible and saving his household from the ordeal of sitting by means of a trial. He added: “That mentioned, no matter sentence you could obtain won’t ever evaluate to the ache you’ve brought about us.

“I ask myself the identical query on a regular basis: why did it’s important to kill her? Perhaps I’ll by no means know.”