By The Guardian (World News) | Created at 2024-09-26 12:45:13 | Updated at 2024-09-30 13:33:02
4 days ago
A man has admitted murdering and dismembering Sarah Mayhew, whose body parts were discovered around south-west London earlier this year.
Mayhew, who was 38 when she was murdered, was last seen on 8 March. Nearly a month later, the remains of her arms, legs and head were discovered in New Addington, Croydon, on 2 April by a dog walker. More body parts were found in May in the River Wandle in Mitcham.
On Thursday, Steven Sansom, 45, who appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from HMP Belmarsh, admitted murdering Mayhew and perverting the course of justice by dismembering her body, disposing of it in various locations, and cleaning up the crime scene. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Co-defendant Gemma Watts, 49, faces the same charges and was not asked to enter pleas. Her next hearing is scheduled for 15 November. At an earlier court hearing in April, Watts appeared via video link from HMP Bronzefield with a dark bruise around her eye.
At an earlier court hearing, it was alleged the pair killed Mayhew at a residential property before dismembering her body with power tools. Police said they were known to Mayhew.
The cause of Mayhew’s death is unknown. An examination of her body found bruising to the skull, that two small vertebrae in her voice box had been broken and that her head had been shaved.
Sansom was previously convicted for the murder of taxi driver Terence Boyle in 1999, the Old Bailey heard. On Christmas Eve in 1998, Boyle was knifed in the throat and back after picking up Sansom, who had called ahead for a lift from East Croydon station to his home in New Addington.
Boyle, a father of two, staggered to a nearby house to call for help but collapsed and died on the doorstep before the ambulance arrived. Sansom was sentenced to a minimum term of 20 years.
In December 2019, he was released from his previous life sentence but was recalled to prison after his arrest in April.
After Sansom and Watts were arrested in April, DI Martin Thorpe, who lead the investigation, said at the time: “My thoughts remain with Sarah’s family. We will continue to provide our support as our investigation progresses.”
Sansom pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey to three separate counts of making indecent images of children.
