MONSTER CAGED Killer who chopped wife’s body into 200 pieces before dumping remains in river in Bag for Life is jailed for life
The court heard details of the internet searches made by Metson after mutilating his wife's body
A MONSTER who chopped his wife's body into more than 200 pieces before dumping her in a river in a Bag for Life has been jailed.
Nicholas Metson, 28, stabbed Holly Bramley, 26, to death at their flat in Lincoln then hacked her up in the bathtub.
The killer paid school pal, Joshua Hancock, £50 to help dispose of her remains in the River Witham ten miles from the home.
Holly's body was found in a number of shopping bags on March 25 last year.
Police recovered 224 separate body parts but bits of her heart, lungs and fingers were missing.
Metson has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years after pleading guilty to murder and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Lincoln Crown Court heard the couple married in 2021 but were on the verge of separating when Holly was stabbed to death.
On March 24, police attended the marital home after receiving a call regarding Holly's welfare.
Metson callously claimed his wife had attacked him before leaving the flat to meet with two mental health workers.
Although the flat smelt of bleach and there were bloodstained sheets in the bath and a saw on the kitchen floor, officers left.When they exposed Metson's version of events as a lie, police returned later that day to find the saw had been stashed in a cupboard.
Sickeningly, the killer joked Holly "might be hiding under the bed".
He was arrested on suspicion of murder but gave a no comment interview to police.
The following day, a member of the public spotted the plastic bags floating in the river so examined one.
Gordon Aspden KC, prosecuting, said: "At this point he made a grim discovery.
"At first he could not believe what he had seen. He was looking at a severed hand."
In short after murdering Holly he destroyed her.
Holly's head had been severed and shaved, with a further 224 remains fished from the water.
A pathologist found four wounds consistent with a sharp incision but due to the brutality of the dismemberment, a cause of death could not be established.
Police later recovered a set of garden pruners, two knives and a claw hammer from the flat.
It is believed the monster murdered Holly in the bedroom, chopped her up in the bath then stored her remains for a week in the kitchen larder.
The prosecutor said Holly's horror injuries went far beyond what was necessary to dismember her body.
"In short after murdering Holly he destroyed her," Mr Aspden added.
Following the murder, heartless Metson withdrew £50 from his wife's bank account and made a number of chilling searches.
These included "What benefits do I get if my wife has died" and "Can someone haunt me after they die".
The thought of [Holly's] last moment being filled with fear and pain is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives.
Police also found CCTV showing Metson moving his wife's remains from their 14th floor home using a Morrison's shopping trolley.
He then put the bags in his car and paid former school friend Hancock £50 to help him dispose of the remains.
Metson at first spun a web of lies to cover up his crimes but later pleaded guilty to murder.
It later emerged Metson received a referral order in 2013 for a domestic assault on a previous partner.
He was also given a community order for three offences of disclosing sexual images relating to another ex.
Metson later admitted breaching a restraining order relating to the same victim.
How you can get help:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
In victim impact statements, Holly's family told how she had been subjected to "coercive control and manipulation" by the "evil monster".
Her mum Annette Bramley fought back tears as she paid tribute to her "beautiful kind and loving" daughter who had her life ahead of her.
She also told how the family lives each day in "unimaginable pain which has cut so deep into our very being and left us shattered and broken".
Annette added: "The pain of losing a child is indescribable and something no parent should ever have to go through.
"The thought of [Holly's] last moment being filled with fear and pain is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives."
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