Becky Watts

Quiet, shy and timid 16-year-old Becky Watts struggled to make friends and her family were the centre of her life.

Bullied at secondary school Becky developed anorexia and spent a year battling the condition.

During her hospital treatment she made two close friends and was slowly building up her self-confidence. 

But her life was cut brutally short by her jealous step-brother Nathan Matthews.

He has been found guilty of her murder. 

Matthews suffocated Becky in her own bedroom, dismembered her body at the home he shared with his partner Shauna Hoare. She has been acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Both have been found guilty of conspiracy to murder, perverting the course of justice and preventing an unlawful burial.

A Timeline of Murder

Wednesday 18 February

Happy and confident Becky goes to a skittles night at Barton Hill Rugby Club and stays overnight with a friend.

Thursday 19 February

Around 08:30 the next morning Becky is dropped off at her home on Crown Hill, in St George. She's planning on catching up with some sleep.

However, her step-brother Nathan Matthews is planning on teaching the teenager a lesson. 

He's angry at the way she is treating her step-mother, his natural mother Anjie, saying she is endangering her health and treating her like "dirt". He calls Anjie and arranges for a key to be left outside so he can get into the house.

At 11:00 Anjie, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, leaves for a hospital appointment.

Just three minutes later Becky sends her final text message to a friend. It's the last time anyone hears from her.

Matthews and his partner Shaun Hoare arrive at Crown Hill. Matthews later tells police that he has taken with him a large bag, stun gun, handcuffs, tape and a mask. He plans to kidnap Becky to scare her and "teach her a lesson".

Matthews lets himself into the house and, sometime between 11:03 and 12:45, he goes upstairs to Becky's bedroom. After a violent struggle Becky is suffocated and her body is put in the boot of Matthews car parked outside.

Anjie is back in the house by 12:45 and Matthews and Hoare spend the rest of the day at Crown Hill.

Later that afternoon Becky's boyfriend Luke Oberhansli goes to see Becky. He's not heard from her all day and Anjie tells him they don’t think she is in.

Just after 18:00 Matthews and Hoare leave and drive back to their home on Cotton Mill Lane, Barton Hill - with Becky’s body in the boot.

They order a takeaway, make calls and call a pizza company. 

Matthews claimed once Hoare was asleep he took Becky’s body out of the car and moved it upstairs to the bathroom.

Telling Hoare that the bathroom is blocked and she cannot use it, Matthews then texts his employers to say he can't work because of car trouble.

By lunchtime Matthews is seen on CCTV buying drain cleaners at Rajani's Supermarket.

He then goes to B&Q in Horfield and at 12:51 is seen on CCTV buying a circular power saw, face mask, goggles and gloves.

Becky is still missing when her father Darren Galsworthy arrives home from work and around 1600 she is reported missing.

That evening the police arrive at Crown Hill and search Becky's room.

Saturday 21 February

With Becky missing Hoare and Matthews are seen buying rubble sacks, cling film and cleaning products in Asda, Bedminster.

Sunday 22 February

A missing person appeal is launched by police.

In a statement police say: "It is out of character for her not to contact someone if she is not returning home."

She's described as a white girl, aged 16, about 5ft 4ins, of slim build with long reddish hair.

That night Matthews dismembered Becky's body in the bathroom of the house in Cotton Mill Lane.

He then packed in cling film and cat litter before cleaning the bathroom.

Police are growing increasingly concerned for Becky - a televised appeal is made with Becky's father, Darren Galsworthy, and grandmother, Pat Watts.

In an emotional appeal Darren Galsworthy says: "Becky, we just want you to come home. You are in no trouble at all – we just want to make sure you are OK. If you can please give us a call or a text – just to let us know you are safe. We all love you and want you back home with us."

Unable to carry on Becky's grandmother takes over saying: “Becky, we love you so much. We all love you and want you back home with us. You are so loved – I don't think you realise just how much. You can come and stay at mine for as long as you need. If you are Becky’s friend and you are sheltering her – you are not doing right by Becky. Just please get in touch.”

Police step up the search close to Becky's home.

Meanwhile, police try to arrange a time to search Hoare and Matthews home in Cotton Mill Lane.

The couple arrange to see Hoare's estranged mother in Southmead for the first time in several years.

By 18:40 police have interviewed them at Hoare's mother’s house and make arrangements to search 14 Cotton Mill Lane the next day.

With the net closing in Matthews moves the body, now packed in suitcases and bags, to a shed in Barton Court.

At 02:19 CCTV shows a van moving between the Cotton Mill Lane and Barton Court.

Lights also come on by the shed at the bottom of the garden of 9 Barton Court.

The police try to search Cotton Mill Lane but come up against a wall of clutter however, the bathroom is spotlessly clean.

Meanwhile, DI Richard Ocone renews his appeal for Becky to get in touch telling her in a video that "she is in no trouble".

"We are all just worried about you and we want to make sure you are OK. If you can just call home, one of your friends or call us on 101, we can work with you to help work through any issues you are facing." 

Police extend the search for Becky, including Troopers Hill nature reserve and Netham Park close to her home.

Officers urge people to get behind its online campaign to find her using the hashtag #findbecky.

Police move in to search the family home and DI Ocone holds a press conference.

That evening family and friends organise their own search for the teenager. They have printed out hundreds of leaflets appealing for help to find her.

Thursday 26 February

Hoare and Matthews interviewed for the first time as witnesses as part of a missing person's inquiry.

Hoare tells officers that the day Becky disappeared was a "normal day" and she heard "stomping down the stairs", the door slam and assumed Becky had gone out in "one of her tantrums".

Meanwhile, crime scene investigators begin their search of Becky's family home.

Photos and samples are taken - including ones of stains on the doorframe of Becky's bedroom which looks like blood.

Avon and Somerset police say their online campaign has reached more than 2 million people across the world.

Her mother, Tanya Watts, says she had not seen Becky for around three weeks.

Friday 27 February

Becky's home is the centre of police investigations at this time

Hoare and Matthews are interviewed again at Southmead Police Station. They hand over their mobile phones to police.

Police say DI Liz Tunks, head of the major crime investigation unit, has taken over as the senior investigating officer.

The neighbouring forces of South Wales, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall and Gloucestershire join the search.

Police search the pond at St George Park, Bristol, close to Becky's home. They say this is routine and not based on specific intelligence.

They add that their search of Troopers Hill nature reserve – two miles from Becky’s home - uncovered nothing.

Blood found on doorframes outside Becky's room are DNA matched to her. Fingerprints found at the scene match Matthews.

Around 15:20 Matthews and Hoare are arrested on suspicion of kidnap.

Hoare says she doesn't need a solicitor and says she is still hoping that Becky is found.

Matthews is interviewed by Dect Con Marie Stephen from the major crime investigation unit. He says he does not know where Becky is and he has not harmed her.

In a statement, Becky’s father and stepmother say they are aware of the arrests. "Rebecca has still not been found. We continue to hope that she will be found safe and unharmed but we will prepare ourselves for the worst."

Becky is still missing and more than 100 people gather to help searches for her.

Her grandfather John Galsworthy says: “We are broadening the search. There are groups separate to ours who are going out using their own initiative, going wherever necessary to try and find her.” A computer is found and handed to police.

Sunday 1 March

Police search two addresses - Wilton Close, in Southmead and Matthews and Hoare's home on Cotton Mill Lane, Barton Hill.

Police say they are running six specialist search teams each day. Search and missing persons experts from the National Crime Agency, College of Policing and national missing persons organisations are also involved.

Officers say the laptop computer found on the public search on Saturday is not relevant.

At 16:40 Matthews is interviewed again. Once again he says he heard the door slam and assumed she had gone out.

Hoare is interviewed again at 23:30 with her solicitor present. She gives a prepared statement stating that she will be answering "no comment" to further police questions.

Police are granted an extra 36 hours to question Hoare and Matthews.

In a press conference at St George's Park they announce that they have further arrested two people on suspicion of murder.

Police are granted an extra 36 hours to question Hoare and Matthews.

In a press conference at St George's Park they announce that they have further arrested two people on suspicion of murder.

The police breakthrough comes at 17:30 that evening. Matthews admits in a statement handed to police that he killed Becky and tells them where to find her body.

It's been stored in a shed at the bottom of a garden of a house in Barton Hill Court - close to his own home.

At 21:30 Hoare is told that her house is now a crime scene and blood has been found. During the interview she tells police Matthews is controlling and violent.

In another interview at 22:24 police read the statement Matthews has made back to him. He does not want to listen and asks to put his fingers over his ears when it is read out loud.

People are watching 9 Barton Court and at 23:00 arrest Jaydene Parson as she leaves the house.

Nearly an hour later James Ireland and Karl Demetrius are pulled over near Barton Close.

Tuesday 3 February

At 01:00 the shed in garden of Barton Court is opened and parcels and suitcases are discovered.

Following further investigations officers discover the remains of Becky's body.

Crime scenes investigators arrive at 10:30 and begin to examine the scene.

In another press conference in St George Park police announce that body parts have been found at an address in Barton Court.

In another press conference in St George Park police announce that body parts have been found at an address in Barton Court.

Matthews is interviewed again. He repeatedly says "no comment".

In a later interview he tells police that the kidnap plan was to make Becky "more appreciative of life".

Thursday March 5

Becky Watts' stepbrother Nathan Matthews, 28, charged with Becky's murder.

21-year-old Shauna Hoare, of the same address, has been charged with intending to pervert the course of justice. She is later charged with murder.

Wednesday November 11

Nathan Matthews is found guilty of murder, his girlfriend Shauna Hoare is acquitted of the same charge but found guilty of manslaughter.

The pair were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Becky, perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial.

Donovan Demetrius, 30, of Barton Court, Bristol and James Ireland, 23, of Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, were found not guilty of assisting an offender.

Karl Demetrius, 30, and Jaydene Parsons, 23, also of Barton Court pleaded guilty to assisting an offender at an earlier hearing.

In a celebration of her life hundreds of people turn out on a perfect spring day for the funeral of Becky Watts.

The service is held at St Ambrose Church in St George - where Darren and Anjie married and where the picture of Becky in her blue bridesmaid dress was taken.

In a tribute to Becky her father Darren said: "Becky has left a huge void in our lives and the nation. We love you so much... you are the angel of Bristol."