Second murder charge over Becky Watts

A second person has been charged with the murder of Bristol teenager Becky Watts.

Shauna Hoare, 21, previously accused of lying to police, now faces a murder charge alongside her boyfriend Nathan Matthews, Becky’s step-brother.

Matthews, 28, was originally charged with murder after the body was found dismembered at a Barton Hill home 11 days after Becky, 16, went missing in February.

But a new file handed to the Crown Prosecution Service on Monday accuses them both of murder along with a list of other new charges including possessing a prohibited weapon, preventing lawful burial and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment.

Police said continuing forensic examinations have led to new lines of enquiry and new evidence.

A charge of making child pornography has also been added for Matthews and Hoare, but it is unrelated to Becky.

Matthews also faces new charges of sexual assault and voyeurism – also unrelated to Becky.

Detective Superintendent Liz Tunks said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with Becky’s family. This has been a very difficult time for them and they have had to endure yet more pain as we have worked to understand the full circumstances surrounding her death. 

“Our continuing investigative work in this case demonstrates our determination to explore all avenues even after suspects have been charged. This has been a meticulous and exhaustive investigation. 

“We are determined to find answers for Becky’s family and bring all those who played a part in her death to justice. 

“I would like to thank the local communities in St George and Barton Hill for their patience and co-operation as this investigation continues.” 

Rachael Scott, head of the CPS South West Complex Casework Unit said: “Following receipt of a full file from Avon and Somerset police, the CPS has authorised a number of additional charges against both Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare. Most significantly there is now sufficient evidence to charge Shauna Hoare with the murder of Becky Watts. 

“Proceedings are now ongoing and the defendants have the right to a fair trial. It is very important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

A major search was triggered across Bristol when the 16-year-old went missing from her home in St George in February.

Police announced that her body had been found “cut up” in a house on a Barton hill estate eleven days after she went missing.

Matthews, of Hazelbury Drive in Warmley, and Shauna Hoare, of Cotton Mill Lane, were arrested alongside three other people, accused of assisting an offender.

Karl Demetrius, 29, his partner Jaydene Parsons, 23, both of Barton Court in Barton Hill, and James Ireland, 23, from Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, are charged with assisted an offender by disposing of or concealing the body parts.

A post-mortem examination revealed Becky was strangled to death. A trial is due to take place this October.