The girlfriend of a man who allegedly killed his teenage stepsister and hid her body will stand trial alongside him accused of the 16-year-old’s murder.
Shauna Hoare, 21, was on Monday charged with the murder of Becky Watts, whose dismembered body was found hidden in a house in Bristol in March after a 10-day search.
Her boyfriend, Nathan Matthews, a delivery driver, had already been charged with Becky’s murder. Together they face further charges in relation to her death: of perverting the course of justice, conspiracy to commit false imprisonment and preventing her lawful burial.
The pair have also been charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and four counts of making indecent images of children, Avon and Somerset police said. Matthews has also been charged with sexual assault and voyeurism. The alleged sexual offences do not relate to Becky.
Becky vanished from her family home in Crown Hill, Bristol, on 19 February. She was reported missing the next day, sparking a massive search, including a widely shared social media campaign under the hashtag FindBecky.
On 2 March, her body parts were found by police at a house in Barton Hill, Bristol. On 5 March, two weeks after Becky disappeared, Matthews appeared in court charged with her murder.
Hoare was also accused of intending to pervert the course of justice by lying to police to help Matthews evade detection.
The new charges will be added to the indictment at their next court appearance, which is a plea and case management hearing at Bristol crown court on 4 August.
There are no changes to the charges against Karl Demetrius, 29, Donovan Demetrius, 29, Jaydene Parsons, 23, and James Ireland, 23, who are all accused of helping dispose of and conceal Becky’s body parts.
Hoare posted appeals for information about Becky on social media before she was arrested.
Hoare and Matthews’ home, which is opposite the house where Becky’s boyfriend lives, has been the scene of detailed searches. It is less than 100m from the house in Barton Court where body parts were found.
DS 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.”
Rachael Scott, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s south-west complex casework unit, added: “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.”
