‘Bloodthirsty’ couple jailed for life after killing and dismembering woman

31 January 2025, 17:32

A “bloodthirsty” couple who admitted to dismembering and killing a woman before dumping her body in a park have been jailed.

Builder Steve Sansom was out of prison on life licence for another murder when he killed Sarah Mayhew, 38, dumping her remains in Rowdown Fields, New Addington, south London.

He was aided by his partner Gemma Watts, 49, who also admitted to the murder and perverting the course of justice by dismembering Ms Mayhew's body, distributing the parts at "various locations" and cleaning up the scene, the Old Bailey heard.

Sansom has been handed a whole life order - meaning he will never leave prison. While Watts was jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years.

The builder was also sentenced to five years for perverting the course of justice to run concurrently.

The judge said both defendants were "equally involved" in the plan to lure Ms Mayhew to Sansom's flat, adding: "You had lured Sarah to the flat for depraved and violent sexual activity during which she was to be killed.

"Her fear and suffering must have been acute as she realised why she was there and what was happening."

The judge added: "She was an innocent woman, lured to that flat to die in order that you both could act out your blood thirsty and wicked fantasy".

Sansom, of Sutton, south-west London, and Watts, of New Addington, sat quietly in the dock as details of their "kinky" sexual relationship - including a stream of messages between them about bestiality, humiliation and causing hurt - were outlined at their sentencing hearing.

They indulged in "depraved conversation about sexual activity" and the graphic messages between them soon evolved into becoming more than fantasy.

The judge said that Sansom "had murder in mind" and that Watts, who was obsessed with him, took part in the murder.

The judge added: "There is clear and proper inference in my view that this murder involved sexual and sadistic conduct."

Ms Mayhew, who lived in New Addington, on the outskirts of Croydon, was never seen again after she joined Sansom, whom she had met years before on a dating site, at his ground floor flat in Sutton at about 11pm on March 8 2024. Watts was already at the property.

Ms Mayhew's head and limbs were found more than eight miles away in Rowdown Field in New Addington, just over three weeks later on April 2 2024.

Her torso was discovered much later in the River Wandle and some pieces of evidence were destroyed or disposed of by the defendants, the court heard.

It is believed Ms Mayhew must have been killed or incapacitated inside Sansom's flat on the night of March 8 to 9 2024 and, given the messages sent between the defendants in the months before, "it is not credible to conclude that she was killed immediately," prosecutor Tom Little KC said.

Sansom later tried to justify what they had done, saying: "We're not evil, we done the world a service."

Mr Little told the court: "The defendants acting together conducted the planned and premeditated bloodthirsty murder of Sarah Mayhew.

"It is a murder which the prosecution submit involved sexual and/or sadistic conduct.

"Having committed the murder they then made very extensive efforts to pervert the course of justice over a number of days.

"Prior to the murder, the defendants had exchanged a range of depraved messages including those indicating a desire on their part to kill victims whilst involved in sexual activity with them, with a knife or knives, and then have sex with each other whilst covered in the blood of the victim and they even discussed eating human flesh but we do not suggest they did so."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman, who confirmed a serious further offence review is under way, said: "This was an abhorrent crime and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Sarah Mayhew."