Husband admits murdering Lincoln woman and dumping body parts in River Witham

A man has pleaded guilty to murdering his wife and dumping her body parts in a river.

Nicholas Metson, 28, was due to stand trial for the murder of 26-year-old Holly Bramley.

Her body parts were found in the River Witham, 12 miles from her Lincoln home, in March last year.

Metson had admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by disposing of Ms Bramley's body on 25 March.

He had denied her murder, but changed his plea to guilty when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday for a pre-trial hearing.

A large number of Ms Bramley's family were in the public gallery to watch Metson enter his plea.

Metson, who wore a grey top and grey jogging bottoms, will be sentenced on 5 April, alongside 27-year-old Joshua Hancock.

Hancock, of Walnut Close, Waddington, admitted obstructing a coroner by helping Metson dispose of Ms Bramley's body.

Judge Simon Hirst told Metson: "You will receive a sentence of life imprisonment. What needs to be decided is the minimum tariff you will have to serve before you are eligible to go before the parole board."

Gordon Aspden KC, prosecuting, asked for the case to be adjourned for the defence to submit a short medical report on behalf of Metson and for the prosecution and defence to provide sentencing notes to the court.

Allison Summers KC, defending Metson, asked for a short adjournment for the preparation of a report by an autism specialist.

Ms Bramley and Metson are believed to have met at Boston College in Lincolnshire in 2016 and married in 2021.

Police were alerted to concerns for her welfare after reports of an incident at the Shuttleworth House high-rise flats in Lincoln, where Metson lived.

Divers recovered her body from a river in the village of Bassingham, 12 miles south of Lincoln.

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