Becky Watts murder trial jury sworn in

Police recovered the body parts of 16-year-old Becky from the shed in the garden of the couple’s home in Barton Court, Bristol, days after she had been reported missing. He then suffocated the teen and dismembered her body with a power saw, authorities said. “There followed a deliberate, carefully planned and grotesquely executed plan to cover up her killing”, he said.

Her body was found 11 days later.

Donovan Demetrius, 29 – Karl’s twin brother – and James Ireland, 23, are charged with assisting an offender.

“Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare were responsible for her death and that cover up, assisted by four others including James Ireland and Donovon Demetrius, all acting together and who to varying degrees over a period of a week, helped in the hiding of her by now disguised remains in the knowledge that she had been killed or that a few other significant offence had been committed by Nathan Matthews and intending that it should prevent the apprehension or prosecution of Matthews and Hoare”.

The pair shared an “unnatural interest in attractive teenage females”, a jury at Bristol Crown Court has heard.

Her mother Tanya, father Darren Galsworthy, grandparents John and Pat and uncle Sam were in Bristol Crown Court as proceedings opened.

The Guardianreported Matthews told police after his arrest that he came up with the idea of kidnapping Becky to “teach her a lesson” because he believed she was “selfish” and treated his mother badly.

Her body parts were discovered in a garden shed in Barton Court – 80 metres from where Matthews and Hoare lived – on March 2.

Becky had previously told a child psychologist she “did not like Matthews and was afraid of him”, a jury heard.

Karl Demetrius, 29, and his partner Jaydene Parsons, 23, both pleaded guilty earlier this year and so will not be standing trial.

Mr Mousley QC adds the couple then ordered a takeaway once they arrived home.

Video from a hardware shop showed Matthews buying a power saw, gloves, goggles and a face mask a day after Watts went missing and prosecutors said the couple used the items for the dismemberment, The Guardian reported.

After a short struggle, he suffocated her and put her body in the boot of his auto, driving home and unloading her corpse after Hoare was asleep.

Both Matthews and Hoare are accused of repeatedly lying to police by claiming they had heard a front door slam and Becky leave her home on February 19. They found security footage that placed Hoare and Matthews at Watts’ home and at area stores, where the supplies were purchased.

She had 15 stab wounds to the abdomen and a further slash wound which were caused after death, the prosecutor stated.

“Shauna Hoare continued to deny any knowledge of or any involvement in any of these acts”.

In court, Becky’s family were distraught as graphic details about her body were read out.

The court heard Becky Watts told a told a close friend in 2013 she was scared of her stepbrother Nathan Matthews.

“All apparently normal behaviour, other than the fact that they had a dead body on their hands”, said Mr Mousley.

The trial, which is expected to last six weeks, continues.

Matthews also pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping, but reportedly admitted possessing the stun guns and to charges of preventing lawful burial and preventing the course of justice.

“They knew that the police would most likely be coming… the next morning”, and the prosecution say steps “had to be taken to have Becky Watts’ body parts removed”.