Becky Watts' killer jailed for minimum of 33 years

Nathan Matthews and his girlfriend Shauna Hoare never showed any remorse for the "grotesque" murder of Becky Watts.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Mike Courtiour said: "Nothing will ever fill the void left by Becky’s murder.

"But I hope the sentences passed down today will bring some comfort to her family, and the wider community who have been affected by these horrific events.

"Matthews and Hoare have never shown any remorse for their grotesque actions and today’s sentence reflects their refusal to take full responsibility for their callous crimes.

"Our thoughts remain with Becky’s families and friends who have suffered unimaginable pain and distress over the past nine months."

The judge sentencing the killers of Bristol teenager Becky Watts has heard a victim statement by Becky's family which describes how their lives were ripped apart by her violent death.

Sam Galsworthy, Becky's uncle, tearfully read out a statement, written by Becky's father.

The statement continued:

“We will never understand why this has happened”

“The heartless, cold, and calculating perpetrators of this despicable act of evil can never be forgiven or forgotten."

"This act of violence sent shockwaves throughout the whole country."

The court was told how Darren and Anjie - the mother of Becky's murderer - were told that Becky's body parts had been found, and then, who had done it.

The court heard that, as parents of the victim and the murderer, Darren and Anjie now feel as if they are "marking time off until our demise."

Darren added "Everything has been ripped from us in one selfish act of violence."

Click here to read the family's full victim impact statements.

Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare will be sentenced on Friday over the murder of Bristol teenager Becky Watts.

Matthews, 28, was found guilty of murdering Becky, his 16-year-old step-sister, during a "violent struggle" after the couple's plans to kidnap her went wrong.

Read more: Nathan Matthews found guilty of Becky Watts murder

He subsequently stabbed her 15 times after her death before later dismembering her and hiding her body parts in a suitcase in a neighbours shed.

Hoare, 21, was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter following a trial over the sexually motivated attack.

Over the course of the proceedings, Bristol Crown Court heard that the pair had a "deep-rooted hatred" for Becky and shared "twisted sexual desires" about petite teenage girls.

Speaking following their conviction, Becky's family paid tribute to a "loyal, loving, smiley, fiesty and caring" girl.

Later, Becky's father Darren Galsworthy - sat alongside his wife, Matthews' mother Angie-Mae Galsworthy - told ITV's Good Morning Britain the killers had "no right to walk God's green earth".

They cried, sobbed and hugged each other as the jury confirmed what they had always believed.

Becky's family knew that Nathan Matthews and his girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, had acted together as they killed her - and then set about the grisly dismemberment of a teenage body.

Listening to those gruesome details, repeatedly recounted in court, is as painful today as it was the day the police told them what they had found.

"Hate’s not a powerful enough word. Not even despise," says Becky's aunt, Sarah Broom, of Matthews - the man who joined their family through his mother's marriage to his victim's father.

Shauna Hoare wiped away a tear and any hope of freedom as her guilt was confirmed in court.

This was the "best result" said Becky's uncle Sam Galsworthy, speaking outside afterwards, relieved that finally the truth had been decided.

Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare will be sentenced on Friday from 10am after being convicted of the kidnap and killing of Matthews' teenage step-sister Becky Watts.

Matthews, aged 28, suffocated his step-sister while trying to kidnap her from her semi-detached home in Crown Hill, Bristol, on February 19 in what police believe was a sexually-motivated plot with his girlfriend Hoare, 21.

He dragged her body into the boot of his Vauxhall Zafira and drove it to the home he shared with Hoare, less than two miles away in Cotton Mill Lane.

Becky's body was found cut up into several pieces and tightly packaged in a shed nearby in Barton Court. A post mortem examination found she had been suffocated during a "violent struggle", suffering 15 stab wounds and a slash across her stomach which had been inflicted after death.

A jury took just three hours and 27 minutes to convict Matthews of murdering and plotting to kidnap Becky.

They acquitted Hoare of murder but convicted her of kidnap and manslaughter.

The family of murdered teenager Becky Watts have described her as "beautiful, happy, funny, feisty, caring, loyal and witty."

A statement from Becky's mother Tanya Watts, grandmother Pat and brother Danny, said it had been painful to hear the 16-year-old described in court in negative terms as part of the trial of her killers.

Speaking via police family liaison officer Det Cons Liz Cousens, they said it was a statement they "never wanted to make".

The statement finished with a message to other parents, urging them to "cherish" the time they have with their children.

"Don't ignore or dismiss what they are trying to say. If they are feeling worried about something, take the time to listen to them," they said.

"Above all, cherish your children, as time with them is precious, and can be too short."