A ‘Savage’ British man who hacked his wife has been jailed for life

A British husband who cut his wife’s body into 224 pieces and then paid a friend to help him dispose of the remains has been sentenced to life in prison.

Nicholas Metson, 28, stabbed his 26-year-old wife Holly Bramley multiple times in the bedroom on March 17 last year.

Then he moved to the bathroom where he dismembered her and kept her body parts for a week in the kitchen larder in the flat they lived in Lincoln.

Metson pleaded guilty to the murder and was given a minimum sentence of 19 years and 316 days at Lincoln Crown Court. The BBC reports.

Metson’s friend Joshua Hancock, who was reportedly paid £50 (NZ$104) to help dispose of Bramley’s remains, has also been jailed for three years and given a 10-year sexual harassment order.

Bramley’s remains were found in the River Witham in Bassingham, near Lincoln by a member of the public more than a week after he was last seen.

Police divers found 224 pieces of Bramley’s body, but some of his body parts were missing, the court heard.

Speaking outside the courtDCI Jennifer Lovatt, who was in charge of the investigation, described Metson’s actions as “brutal”.

“And not only did he kill his wife, we now believe he also wanted to dispose of her body in such a way that she could not be buried.

“She tried to cover up her tracks by telling friends that Holly had harmed herself, been taken in by the local mental health team and then ran off to be with a group of people in Manchester.

“Nothing we can do can bring Holly back – but we hope that the sentence can help start to bring some sort of closure to her family who have experienced so much shock and pain,” Lovatt said.

A statement released by Bramley’s family said his loss was “still raw” as the family heard more about what happened before and after his tragic death.

“His warm spirit and contagious laugh filled our lives with joy, he was one of a kind,” the family said.

It said the sentence was “by no means closure but an important step in our grieving and healing process”.

The BBC reports that Bramley’s mother Annette said her family had suffered “unimaginable pain” and described Metson as “a terrible animal”.

“By no means (sentence) is closure, but it is an important step in our grieving and healing process,” he said in a statement.

Metson initially denied murder before changing his plea to guilty before the trial.