Husband who cut his wife’s body into more than 200 pieces before dumping her in a river is jailed for life

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A husband who cut his wife’s body into 224 pieces before paying a friend £50 to help him 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 keeping her body parts stored for a week in the kitchen larder at the flat they shared in Lincoln.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Metson tried to cover up his “barbaric” act by buying large amounts of cleaning products and enlisting his school friend Joshua Hancock, 28, to help move the body parts to the River Witham in Bassingham after offering him £50 to help with a “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 himself money from her bank account.

A search of his mobile phone later revealed Metson had made Google searches including “How to get rid of a dead body”, “What benefits can I get if my wife dies” and “Does God forgive murder”.

Ms Bramley’s remains were discovered by a member of the public in the river on the evening of 25 March – more than a week after she was last seen. The walker 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 never been recovered.

Metson initially denied murder before changing his plea to guilty before the trial. On Monday, he was jailed for life, with a minimum sentence of 19 years and 316 days.

Branding him an “evil monster” who had convinced his wife that her family were abusive, Ms Bramley’s mother Annette said her family had suffered “unimaginable pain”.

Describing her daughter as “beautiful, kind and loving”, she said: “Her last moments being filled with pain will haunt us forever. Her life was taken by someone who quite clearly has no regard for human life.

“We were prevented from seeing Holly in the years leading up to her murder. We were prevented from seeing her before her death and due to his monstrous actions, he made sure we were prevented from seeing 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 before her remains were found, and while Ms Bramley was missing, Lincolnshire Police attended the flat she and Metson shared. Metson told officers his wife had left their home on 19 March with two members of a local mental health crisis team.

Officers noticed a “strong smell of bleach and ammonia” in the flat, a saw on a towel, bloodstained sheets in their bathroom and a large blood stain on their bedroom floor.

After police established 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 25 March offering him money in return for help with a “job”.

Hancock was arrested on 5 April and charged with obstructing a coroner.

Extensive CCTV searches revealed Metson moving a large number of bags from his flat on the 14th floor into a lift before putting them into his yellow Peugeot in the early hours of 25 March.

Metson, who initially denied killing his wife but changed his plea to guilty on 23 February, and Hancock, who pleaded guilty to disposal of a corpse with intent to obstruct or prevent a coroner’s inquest at the same hearing, faced members of Ms Bramley’s distraught family in court on Friday.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Hirst said it was an aggravating feature that Metson never gave a reason for why he had killed his wife adding it was plain to see she was “a much loved young woman”.

He said: “She is described by her mother as beautiful, kind, and loving. It is also plain that Holly’s friends have been left with a void that will never be filled in their lives.”

The court heard Metson had previous convictions for offences against former partners, the first of which was when he was 17, in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

A family statement released through Lincolnshire Police read: “Today is a mixture of emotions for us as we see that justice has finally been served after losing our vibrant, happy and affectionate daughter, sister and aunt in such a barbaric and heinous way 12 months ago.

“The loss of Holly is still raw as we’ve come to learn more and more of what happened to her before and after her tragic death. Today is by no means closure but it is a milestone in the process of our grief and healing.

“Our dear sweet Holly was a beautiful, caring, innocent soul who had a kindness and warmth that affected everyone she met. She loved to sing, dance, had a passion for animals and was rarely seen without a smile on her face. Her vibrant spirit and infectious laughter filled our lives with joy, she was truly special.

“She adored her younger brothers, nieces and nephews and wanted nothing more than to become a mother herself one day. To have children of her own to dote on and shower with love. She has so many family and friends who love her who are now left feeling truly devastated that she is no longer here to live the long and happy life she deserved.”

It added: “Sadly, meeting the man who cruelly took her life was just the beginning of a rocky road for Holly as she embarked on a life of domestic abuse and, despite our trying, as a family we never managed to save her from that.

“We, as a family, are asking and encouraging anyone 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 OK. If she had recognised that this was what she was being subjected to, we may have her home with us now.”

They pointed any other domestic abuse survivors towards the Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Specialist Service, LDASS before adding: “Let’s make domestic abuse everyone’s business. For Holly’s sake.”

Hancock was arrested on April 5 and charged with obstructing a coroner.

Hancock admitted obstructing a coroner, as well as unrelated offences of attempting sexual communication with a child and drug offences.

He was jailed for three years and three months in total.