A woman has admitted the murder of a woman whose body parts were found in various locations across south and southwest London.

Sarah Mayhew, 38, was last seen in Sutton on the evening of March 8. Some of his remains were found at Rowdown Field in Croydon in April and others were discovered in the River Wandle, Mitcham, in May.

Gemma Watts, 49, from Croydon, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to murder and perverting the course of justice.

His partner Steven Sansom, 45, from Sutton in south-west London, had previously admitted the same offences.

The couple will be sentenced in January at the Old Bailey, although the date has not yet been confirmed.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC said the only sentence available to each defendant was life.

Details of the charges included that Watts murdered Sarah Mayhew between March 7 and April 3, 2024, and that during the same period she perverted the course of justice by dismembering her body, dumping it in various locations , then cleaning it. the crime scene.

“New examination of offenses”

During the hearing, Watts denied three further charges of creating indecent images of children, which will go on record.

Sansom was previously convicted in 1999, when he was a teenager, for the murder of a taxi driver.

Convicted murderers spend the rest of their lives on license if released from prison and must comply with certain conditions, including being subject to supervision by probation officers.

An investigation is generally carried out when another serious offense is committed while on license or under probation supervision.

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that a new investigation into serious offenses is currently underway.

It remains to be confirmed whether any disciplinary action has been taken against any member of probation staff.

At an earlier hearing, Sansom also denied three counts of creating indecent images of children and the prosecution had said those charges would be placed on record.

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Related web links

• Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service