Double murderer will never be released

A double murderer who killed a woman before dumping her remains across London has been jailed for the rest of his life

Steve Sansom was out of prison on licence for another murder when he killed 38 year old Sarah Mayhew last year.

He then dumped her remains in Rowdown Fields, New Addington, south London, last spring.

The 45 year old was given a whole life order, which means he will never be released. He was also sentenced to five years for perverting the course of justice to run concurrently.

His 49 year old partner Gemma Watts, who also admitted murder, was jailed for a minimum of 30 years.

Watts held back tears as she was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years along with five years for perverting the course of justice to run concurrently.

If she is ever released, she will spend the rest of her life on licence.

The judge said: "Her fear and suffering must have been acute as she realised why she was there and what was happening.

"She was an innocent woman lured to that flat to die in order for you could both act out your bloodthirsty and wicked fantasy."

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.

“Secondly, I would like to commend my colleagues from across the Met. The dedication shown to this investigation, which has been complex and challenging, has been extraordinary, they worked around the clock to pull together the evidence needed to bring this case to court.

“The investigation included viewing hundreds of hours of CCTV, extensive forensic examinations within the defendants' houses, the searching of fields and rivers, witness accounts, and reviewing the defendants’ phones. These revealed messages detailing what the defendants planned to do to Sarah, with texts and voice notes recorded by the defendants themselves, also revealing their intention to carry out violent attacks on others.

“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."

Officers discovered that Samson and Watts travelled to and from Rowdown Fields using public transport on 11 March 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.

Following the discovery of Sarah’s remains in April, Samson was arrested at his home address on 6 April 2024 and Watts was arrested later on the same day.

First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.