Becky Watts murder: Shauna Hoare to appeal manslaughter conviction

Nathan Matthews was convicted of the murder of the 16-year-old Bristol schoolgirl earlier this year

Nathan Matthews (PA)

Shauna Hoare will appeal her conviction of the manslaughter of Bristol schoolgirl Becky Watts.

Hoare, 21, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years in prison at Bristol Crown Court in November.

It is understood she has applied on leave for appeal, the BBC reports.

Her boyfriend, 28-year-old Nathan Matthews, was convicted of murder and is serving a 33-year term.

He suffocated and then dismembered the 16-year-old after a struggle in her bedroom while attempting to kidnap her in the George Street area in Bristol on 19 February. Hoare, who was pregnant at the time of the attack, was in the house at the time of the attack.

Following the conclusion of the trial, Becky’s mother Tanya described her “living nightmare”. She said her daughter’s death and mutilation was like the “worse of all horror movies”.

In court, Judge Mr Justice Dingemans paid tribute to Becky’s family for the dignity in which they had comported themselves during the trial.

He added the manner in which Hoare and Matthews had tricked Becky’s father Darren Galsworthy and his wife, Anjie, in the days following the murder was “particularly cruel and unusual”.

Judge Dingemans also said he believed the planned kidnap “was for a sexual purpose” and the couple’s understanding of proper conduct had been “corrupted and warped”.

The couple dismembered Becky’s body in a bathtub, wrapped it in clingfilm and concealed her remains in a shed as a huge manhunt over Bristol ensued.