The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
The Holbeach family of murdered Holly Bramley have encouraged any victims of domestic abuse to seek help after her killer was jailed for life today.
The 26-year-old was stabbed to death in March last year by her husband Nicholas Metson.
Today (Monday April 8), a judge at Lincoln Crown Court sentenced him to a life sentence behind bars.
Holly grew up in Holbeach and her mum Annette Bramley is currently in training to provide support to domestic abuse victims and their family..
A statement released by Holly’s family following today’s hearing says: “Today is a mixture of emotions for us as we see that justice has finally been served after losing our vibrant, happy and affectionate daughter, sister and aunt in such a barbaric and heinous way 12 months ago.
“The loss of Holly is still raw as we’ve come to learn more and more of what happened to her before and after her tragic death. Today is by no means closure but it is a milestone in the process of our grief and healing.
“Our dear sweet Holly was a beautiful, caring, innocent soul who had a kindness and warmth that affected everyone she met. She loved to sing, dance, had a passion for animals and was rarely seen without a smile on her face. Her vibrant spirit and infectious laughter filled our lives with joy, she was truly special.
“She adored her younger brothers, nieces and nephews and wanted nothing more than to become a mother herself one day. To have children of her own to dote on and shower with love. She has so many family and friends who love her who are now left feeling truly devastated that she is no longer here to live the long and happy life she deserved.
“Sadly, meeting the man who cruelly took her life was just the beginning of a rocky road for Holly as she embarked on a life of domestic abuse and, despite our trying, as a family we never managed to save her from that.
“We, as a family, are asking and encouraging anyone living with domestic abuse to seek support and tell someone. There are services out there who can help victims find the happiness and freedom they deserve. The Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Specialist Service, LDASS, is one who provides nonjudgmental support to anyone who reaches out.
“We miss Holly so much our hearts are broken. But, if anything, we need her death to highlight that domestic abuse is not OK. If she had recognised that this was what she was being subjected to, we may have her home with us now.
“Let’s make Domestic Abuse everyone’s business. For Holly’s sake. Thank you.”
Nicholas Metson, (pictured below) 28, of Shuttleworth House, Lincoln, admitted her murder and was told he will have to serve a minimum of 19 years and 316 days behind bars before he can even be considered for release by the parole board.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Metson paid his friend, Joshua Hancock, to help dispose of his wife’s remains after he kept them hidden in the couple’s flat for nearly a week.
During a sentencing hearing, His Honour Judge Simon Hirst said it was an aggravating feature that Metson never gave a reason for how and why he had killed his wife.
“Holly’s family and friends will never know how and why she was killed,” Judge Hirst told Metson.
Judge Hirst said the fact Holly was cut in to 224 parts was also an aggravating feature and could not be explained by his autism.
“The number of parts was far from necessary to remove Holly’s parts from your flat,” Judge Hirst added.
Judge Hirst said although the exact events of 17 March were not known – it was clear Holly bit Metson after he put her in a headlock.
“You killed Holly by stabbing her four times,” Judge Hirst told Metson. “You then moved her to the bathroom where you dismembered her with a number of tools.”
Judge Hirst said Metson then went to the village of Bassingham a week later after paying Hancock £100 to help him dispose of Holly’s remains.
The Judge said it was clear from family statements that Holly was a “beautiful and kind” young woman whose murder had left a “void” for her loved ones.
Victim impact statements read out in court by Ms Bramley’s mother and siblings indicated the 26-year-old triplet had been subjected to “coercive control and manipulation” by the “evil monster” and their marriage had “broken down irretrievably”.
The couple had married in 2021 but were on the verge of separating when Metson carried out the murder, the court heard.
Prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC told the judge Lincolnshire Police were called to the couple’s flat on 24 March 2023 because of a concern for Ms Bramley’s welfare.
Officers visited the home the following day and noticed a strong smell of ammonia and bleach, bloodstained sheets in the bathtub and a towel on the kitchen floor.
There was evidence of recent redecoration and cleaning. The police also spotted a number of large dark stains on the floor in the main bedroom, which later turned out to be Holly’s blood, Mr Aspden said.
Metson told officers his wife had been abusive to him, showing them a bite mark on his forearm, and she had left home with a local mental health support group on 19 March.
Police subsequently found Metson had told lies to officers, who later returned to conduct a search of the flat.
“At one point Mr Metson joked she might be hiding under the bed,” said Mr Aspden.
The following day a walker “made a grim discovery” when he noticed plastic bags and a ‘Bag For Life’ floating in the River Witham at Bassingham, one of which contained a human hand, he said.
Police divers recovered 224 remains of Ms Bramley’s body but some of her body parts were never recovered, the court heard.
Mr Aspden said it was likely the 26-year-old was stabbed multiple times in the bedroom before being moved to the bathroom where she was dismembered. Her remains were then stored in the kitchen larder before being placed into the bags.
He said the bite mark on Metson’s arm “suggests she was being restrained in a headlock”.
After murdering his wife, Metson withdrew £50 from her bank account and searched on the internet with questions such as “What benefits do I get if my wife dies” and “Can someone haunt me after they die”.
CCTV footage played in court showed Ms Bramley was last seen alive returning to her flat on 17 March.
Further CCTV footage showed Metson wearing a rucksack and using the flat’s lift and a Morrisons shopping trolley to move bags from the 14th floor to the ground floor in the early hours of 25 March. They were then placed in Metson’s yellow Peugeot car.
In court, Ms Bramley’s mother, Annette Bramley, addressed Metson directly, telling him he had condemned her family “to a life sentence of grief”.
“The heinous way in which she was murdered and dismembered has left us in such unimaginable pain,” she said.
Mrs Bramley said Metson’s controlling and coercive behaviour had also left the family unable to see Holly in the years before her death.
The court heard Metson had previous convictions for offences against former partners in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
Metson previously admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by disposing of Ms Bramley’s body on 25 March 2023, and was sentenced to four years imprisonment which will run alongside his life sentence.
He originally denied murder but later pleaded guilty when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court last month.
Hancock, also 28, of Walnut Close, Waddington, pleaded guilty to obstructing the Lincolnshire Coroner in the execution of his duty by helping to dispose of Ms Bramley’s body, and was jailed for three years and three months.
He was unaware Metson had murdered Ms Bramley but helped to dispose of her body parts after being offered cash by his old school friend during the early hours of 25 March.
Judge Hirst told Hancock it was an aggravating feature that not all of Ms Bramley’s body parts had been recovered.
Hancock also admitted two unrelated charges of attempted communication with a child and possessing drugs.
“I am satisfied you were motivated by money,” Judge Hirst told Hancock.
