Sarah Mayhew murdered in Sutton home by 'bloodthirsty' couple with cannibal fantasies
The full horror of Sarah Mayhew's murder has been laid bare at the Old Bailey this morning with her 'bloodthirsty' killers set to be jailed on Thursday afternoon (January 30). Steven Sansom, 45, from Sutton, and Gemma Watts, 49, from Croydon, both admitted murdering, butchering, and disposing of her body around South London last year.
Opening the sentencing in Court 2, with Sarah's family sat tearfully in the public gallery, prosecutor Tom Little KC said: "Both of these defendants acting together conducted a bloodthirsty murder that was planned and premeditated in advance. This murder involved sadistic conduct and sexual conduct.
"Having committed that murder there was significant evidence of efforts thwart justice in the following days. The defendants had exchanged a number of depraved messages including a desire to kill victims with a knife and knives and then have sex with each other while covered in blood. They even discussed eating human flesh, but we do not suggest they did so."
The court heard Sarah, a 38-year-old mum-of-two, met Sansom on a dating app and later introduced him to Watts, who he started seeing. Their grim texts referenced dog porn and having sex covered in blood, plus videos of Sansom beating Watts with a wooden spoon and Watts performing sexual activity with a dog.
In one particularly disturbing exchange, Sansom sent a voice note saying: "Everyone looks like meat now, don't they. A play thing. Something to cut, something to bleed." Watts responded: "I wonder what they taste like, cooked flesh." Sansom then said 'people taste like pork, consistency, texture is the same'.
The couple also talked about dying together if they were ever caught, while Watts wrote a letter saying Sansom should have no liability if she was ever to die during one of their sex games. Police also retrieved videos taken by Watts that showed her attempts to secretly film a young woman under her duvet.
Mr Little said that when Sarah got in contact with Sansom asking him for money, he messaged Watts and they discussed slitting her throat over Watts' face. Then on March 1 2024, Sansom invited Sarah to his home on Burnell Road for 'a little party' with reference to being 'horny' and wanting to buy heroin.
Mr Little said Sarah was 'lured' to Sansom's home, with Watts also present, where, the prosecution say, she was attacked with at least one knife. He also said there was evidence consistent with strangulation.
Sansom and Watts then disposed of Sarah's body, first taking her arms, legs, and head to Rowdown Fields and New Addington, and then her torso to the River Wandle in Mitcham. Watts also purchased cleaning equipment, while Sansom bought an incinerator that Watts was spotted using by a neighbour to burn clothes.
After police launched an investigation into the discovery of Sarah's remains by a dog walker in the fields on April 2, Sansom sent a voice note saying 'We're not evil, we're not evil. We done the world a service'. There were also messages on Sansom's phone suggesting Sarah had been killed over a drug debt.
Sansom was arrested on April 6 and denied it all, despite the mountain of evidence against him. When Watts was arrested and brought into custody, she was heard muttering 'she deserved it anyway, dirty crackhead'. Watts claimed she was suicidal and voices told her to do 'bad things' but she was not permanently sectioned.
Alexandra Healey KC, defence counsel for Sansom, said there was no mitigation other than his guilty plea, and that Sansom accepted a whole life order was appropriate due to his previous conviction for murder. Sansom slit the throat of a cab driver in Croydon on Christmas Eve 1998.
Charlotte Newell KC, Watts, said her client was not seeking to blame Sansom for her actions, but asked the judge to consider the offences 'against the background of her vulnerabilities'. Ms Newell revealed Watts had been abused as a young teenager and sought out physically and sexually abusive relationships ever since.
The defendants will be sentenced by Mrs Justice Cutts at 2:30pm.
Got a tip, a court date, or some gossip? Please email callum.cuddeford@reachplc.com or WhatsApp 07580255582.
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