by A husband who chopped his wife’s body into 224 pieces before paying a friend £50 to help dump her remains in a river has been jailed for life.
Nicholas Metson, 28, stabbed Holly Bramley, 26, at least four times in March 2023 before dismembering her and storing her body for a week in the kitchen larder at the flat they shared in Lincoln.
Lincoln Crown Court heard that Metson tried to cover up his “barbaric” act by buying large quantities of cleaning products and enlisting his school friend Joshua Hancock, 28, to help move the body parts into the River Witham in Bassingham after Offer him £50 for help. with “job”.
He also used her Facebook account to message her friends and trick them into thinking she was still alive, claiming she had left him and moved to Manchester while sending money herself from her bank account.
A search of his cell phone later revealed that Metson had done Google searches including “How to get rid of a dead body”, “What are the benefits if my wife dies” and “Does God condone murder “.
A member of the public found Ms Bramley’s remains in the river on the evening of March 25 – more than a week after she was last seen. The hiker who found the body initially thought the remains belonged to an animal until he noticed a human hand. Some of Ms Bramley’s remains, including parts of her heart, have not been found.
Metson initially denied murder before changing his plea to guilty before trial. On Monday, he was jailed for life, with a minimum sentence of 19 years and 316 days.
Calling him an “evil monster” who convinced his wife her family was abusive, Miss Bramley’s mother Annette said her family had suffered “unimaginable pain”.
Describing her daughter as “beautiful, kind and loving”, she said: “These last pain-filled hours will haunt us forever. Someone took her life who has no regard for human life.
“We were forbidden to see Holly in the years leading up to her murder. We were forbidden to see her before her death and because of his terrible actions, he made sure that we were forbidden to see her after her death.
“Holly will always be in our hearts, we will never forget her and the impact she had on our lives.”
The court heard how, before her remains were found, and while Ms Bramley was missing, Lincolnshire Police attended the flat she shared with Metson. Metson told officers that his wife left their home on March 19 with two members of a local mental health crisis team.
Officers noted a “strong smell of bleach and ammonia” in the apartment, sawdust on towels, blood-stained sheets in her bathroom and heavy blood on her bedroom floor.
After the police discovered that what Metson had told them about his wife’s disappearance was a lie, he was arrested and charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.
As well as his sinister search history, he had also sent a message to Hancock, of Walnut Close in Waddington, in the early hours of March 25 offering him money in exchange for help with a “job”.
Hancock was arrested on April 5 and charged with obstructing a coroner.
An extensive CCTV search showed Metson moving a large number of bags from his 14th floor flat into a lift before loading them into his yellow Peugeot in the early hours of March 25.
Metson, who initially denied murdering his wife but changed his plea to guilty on February 23, and Hancock, who pleaded guilty to disposing of a body with intent to obstruct or obstruct a coroner’s inquest, appeared at the hearing same, against members of Ms Bramley’s troubled family. in court on Friday.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Hirst said it was an aggravating feature that Metson had given no reason for not killing his wife, adding that it was clear to see she was “a very loving young woman”.
He said: “Her mother describes her as beautiful, kind and loving. It’s also clear that Holly’s friends have left a void in their lives that will never be filled.”
The court heard that Metson had previous convictions for offenses against former partners, the first of which when he was 17, in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
A family statement released through Lincolnshire Police read: “It is a mixed bag of emotions for us today as we see that justice has finally been served after the loss of our lively, happy and loving daughter, sister and aunt in such a barbaric and horrific way 12 months ago. .
“The loss of Holly continues to haunt us as we come to learn more about what happened to her before and after her tragic death. Today is no closure but a milestone in our grieving and healing process.
“Our sweet columnist was a beautiful, caring, innocent soul, with a kindness and warmth that touched everyone she met. She loved to sing, dance, loved animals and was rarely seen without a smile on her face. Her lively spirit and infectious smile filled our lives with joy, she was truly special.
“She loved her younger siblings, nieces and nephews and just wanted to be a mother herself one day. Having children of her own to contend with and shower with love. She has so much family and friends who love her and are gone now that she is no longer here to live the long, happy life she deserves.”
He added: “Sadly, meeting the man who cruelly took her life was only the start of a rocky road for Holly as she embarked on a life of domestic abuse and, despite our best efforts, we were unsuccessful as family saved her from that. .
“We, as a family, want and encourage anyone who is living with domestic abuse to seek support and tell someone.
“We miss Holly so much our hearts are broken. But, if anything, we need her death to highlight that domestic abuse is not okay. If she had recognized that that was what she was doing, maybe her home would be with us now.”
They directed any other survivors of domestic abuse to the Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Specialist Service, LDASS before adding: “Let’s make domestic abuse everyone’s business. For Holly.”
