Man jailed for murdering lodger and scattering body parts around Bournemouth

A man who murdered his lodger in a "ferocious attack" before scattering his body parts along Bournemouth seafront has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years.

49-year old Benjamin Lee Atkins attacked Simon Shotton, also 49, with a knife at his home in Aylesbury Road, Boscombe, following a disagreement over money in August 2023.

A police investigation was launched after Mr Shotton's legs were found in packages by a member of the public on the Manor Steps Zig Zag footpath.

The victim had been living in a tent in the garden of the flat Atkins shared with his girlfriend, 39-year-old Debbie Pereira, giving the defendants drugs in lieu of paying rent.

The Judge, Mrs Justice Stacey, said Atkins may have initially been acting in self-defence when a fight broke out on the night of the killing, but said the level of violence inflicted upon him was "extreme".

Pereira was acquitted of murder but convicted of perverting the course of justice.

She was jailed for four years after the court heard she "hid" in her bedroom while Atkins carried out the brutal attack but helped clean up afterwards.

Atkins had previously admitted perverting the course of justice and both defendants had admitted preventing the burial of a corpse.

Atkins admitted in court to killing Mr Shotton at the couple's home and dismembering his body, but claimed he had acted out of self-defence.

Mr Shotton's son, Wesley, branded his father's killer "evil" as he said: "Your children should be ashamed of what you have done. You wrecked so many more lives than just mydad's. No sentence will ever be enough for what you have done."

Addressing Atkins, Mrs Justice Stacey said: "Your dismemberment, disposal and concealment of Mr Shotton's body was particularly gruesome. Your callousness was shocking.

"You may have initially acted to some extent in self-defence, but with the ferocity of your attack, you intended to kill Simon."

Sentencing Pereira, the judge said: "As a consequence of the help you gave Atkins, parts of Simon have never been found. You were in it together, before and after Atkins killed Simon.

"You could have called the police at any time. You did nothing to help Simon.He was a vulnerable victim."

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Third said: “This was an extremely complex investigation, starting from a point where we only had partial human remains and no victim identified.

“This was an abhorrent act and the impact upon Mr Shotton’s family of their loved one being murdered and then dismembered in this way cannot be underestimated. I would like to thank them for the dignified way they have conducted themselves throughout this investigation and the court process."

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