News / Crime
Serious case review over Becky Watts death
A serious case review will take place into the death of teenager Becky Watts, Bristol Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) has announced.
A major search was triggered across Bristol when the 16-year-old went missing from her home in St George in February.
Police announced that her body had been found “cut up” in a house on a Barton hill estate eleven days after she went missing.
Sally Lewis, chairwoman of the BSCB confirmed today that the criteria for undertaking a Serious Case Review has been met.
She said: “Bristol Safeguarding Children Board will undertake a detailed analysis of what happened and how agencies worked together.
“Whilst it is understood we can never eliminate risk completely, we will be thorough in establishing what can be learnt from this very sad event to identify if there is anything that services can do differently to prevent a future tragedy.”
Becky’s step-brother Nathan Matthews, 28, of Hazelbury Drive in Warmley, has been charged with her murder, while his girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21, of Cotton Mill Lane, is charged with perverting the course of justice.
Karl Demetrius, 29, his partner Jaydene Parsons, 23, both of Barton Court in Barton Hill, and James Ireland, 23, from Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, are charged with assisted an offender by disposing of or concealing the body parts.
A post-mortem examination revealed Becky was strangled to death.
Guidelines state that a serious case review should be carried out when a child dies and is suspected to have been killed by a parent, carer or close family relative.
A trial into the alleged murder is not set to take place until Autumn this year.