UPDATED 6PM: The body of a murdered woman was “cut into pieces with powertools”, a court at the Old Bailey was told this morning.
Sarah Mayhew’s remains were found in Rowdown Fields in New Addington last week, prompting a murder hunt and a massive police operation to search the area.
Two people – Gemma Watts (originally identified by the Metropolitan Police as Gemma Saundercock), 48, of Holmbury Grove, Forestdale, and Steve Samson, 44, of Burnell Road in Sutton – were arrested by police at the weekend and charged with murder and the prevention of the lawful and decent burial of a body.
Samson has also been charged with three counts of making indecent images of a child, which prosecutors allege to be “linked” in nature to the other charges.
Watts appeared via video link from HMP Bronzefield for this morning’s hearing held at the Central Criminal Court. She spoke only to confirm her name.
As with her previous court appearance on Tuesday, she appeared to have a black eye.
Tom Little KC, for the Crown, told the court that Sarah Mayhew’s body had been cut into a number of pieces with the use of powertools. The prosecution’s case is that the murder took place between March 8 and April 2.
The court heard later that the remains were first discovered by someone out walking their dog in the New Addington park.
Sansom appeared via video link from HMP Belmarsh this afternoon.
Prosecuting barrister Joel Smith KC said that Sarah Mayhew had last been seen alive on March 8. Smith said that she had left someone’s home at 8pm that night. “She was wearing a rucksack and beige coat. She was last in contact with her father that evening by WhatsApp. CCTV at 8.30pm shows her at a shop, wearing a coat with a bag.”
Smith explained that on April 2, a member of the public was walking their dog. “The dog found a bone and further remains were found nearby, including arms, legs and head. The body had been cut up with power tools. The torso remains missing.”
Little, the other prosecuting barrister, told the court: “There is quite a significant ongoing investigation in relation to whereabouts of the entirety of the deceased’s body.”
Watts and Samson will enter pleas in June.
Judge Philip Katz KC set a provisional trial date for February 17, 2025. Watts and Sansom both remain in custody.
- Updated at 6pm to include coverage of Sansom’s appearance in court
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
This entire word and its population has gone completely insane, to kill a person is disgraceful enough and should be locked in a dark damp cell and the key be destroyed and left in there to rot, but to cut the body up is psychotic.