A man and a woman have been jailed for the murder of Sarah Mayhew, whose body was dismembered and dumped in plain sight of the public.
Steve Samson, 45, of Burnell Road, Sutton, and his partner Gemma Watts, 49, of Holmbury Grove, Croydon, were sentenced to life in prison at the Old Bailey today.
Samson will serve a whole life order and Watts will serve a minimum of 30 years’.
The pair were also sentenced to five years each, to run concurrently, for perverting the course of public justice.
At an earlier hearing they both pleaded guilty to murder and preventing a lawful burial.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Thorpe, from the Specialist Crime Command, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to send my deepest condolences to Sarah’s family and friends.
“A loss is always hard, but to hear about the way Sarah spent her last moments must be heart-breaking. I commend their bravery and strength throughout this investigation; we will continue to support them should they need us.”
Steve Samson will serve a whole life order (Picture: The Met)
An investigation was launched after police were called to reports of human remains found in Rowdown Fields in Croydon, at around 9am on April 2, 2024.
Forensic examination revealed the remains to be of Ms Mayhew, 38, who was living in Croydon at the time of her death.
Shortly after in May, further remains were found in Mitcham. Examination revealed that these also belonged to Sarah.
The Met investigation found messages on Samson’s phone which showed a conversation with Watts that suggested the pair wanted to murder Sarah.
The conversation revealed that Samson was going to invite Sarah over to his house to which Watts replied “only if it’s a deal she ain’t leaving in one piece”, to which Samson responded, “okay”.
Following on from the discussion further messages were sent that indicated a sexual and sadistic motivation, the force said.
Sarah was last seen on CCTV entering a property in Sutton on March 8, 2024, accompanied by Samson and his dog. Police believe that Sarah was murdered on this day.
Two days later, Samson was seen on CCTV in a retail shop purchasing a hacksaw, blades and a bucket.
Watts was also seen on CCTV in a retail shop buying multiple cleaning products such as bleach and scourers and a silver incinerator bin.
Gemma Watts will serve a minimum of 30 years’ for the murder of Sarah Mayhew (Picture: The Met)
Officers discovered that Samson and Watts travelled to and from Rowdown Fields using public transport on March 11, 2024, while carrying oversized shopping bags, which they appeared to have struggled to carry.
In April, parts of Sarah’s body were found in the same location.
It was also found that the pair travelled to the river Wandle with a suitcase. CCTV showed them returning from their journey with no suitcase.
Sarah’s torso was then found in May in the same location.
Samson was arrested at his home address on April 6, 2024. Watts was arrested later on the same day.
They were charged on April 9, 2024, and convicted.
DCI Thorpe said: “Sarah was a young woman who had the rest of her life ahead of her, before it was selfishly taken by Samson and Watts for their own sadistic motive.
“Their sick and twisted desires were heard in court by her family. They listened to traumatising evidence which revealed that the two enjoyed the pain and torment that they put Sarah through.
“No sentence can ever bring Sarah back or compensate for her loss, we ask for you to please respect their privacy during this tough time.”
Pictured top: Sarah Mayhew was last seen on CCTV entering a property in Sutton on March 8, 2024, accompanied by Samson (Picture: The Met)