Becky Watts murder trial: Father says murderer Nathan Matthews was ‘so arrogant he thought he could get away with it’

'There’s only one way of paying for the sort of crime they’ve done. And that’s by losing their own [lives]'

Becky Watts was killed on 19 February

The father of Becky Watts has said his stepson was “so arrogant he thought he could get away with” murdering his daughter.

Bristol Crown Court today found Nathan Matthews guilty of murdering his stepsister during a sexually motivated kidnap in February.

The 28-year-old had previously confessed to killing Becky but said it was an accident and that he only intended to kidnap her.

In a new interview with the BBC, Becky’s father, Darren Galsworthy, said: “Nathan was so arrogant he thought he could get away with it, which is probably why he chopped her into small pieces and distributed her body parts all over the place.”

"I loved him like he was my own son… [I] don’t now. I hate him."

Matthews’ girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, was cleared of Becky's murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Mr Galsworthy said: “They need to be put away and not let out... There’s only one way of paying for the sort of crime they’ve done. And that’s by losing their own [lives].”

During the interview, Matthews’ mother, Anjie Galsworthy, said: “I just couldn’t accept it. [Matthews has] never lied to me. He’s always been open and honest with me. He seemed fine."

Becky, 16, was suffocated as Matthews tried to kidnap her from her home in Bristol on 19 February. Her body was dragged to the boot of his car and taken to the home he shared with Hoare.

In the following days Matthews purchased items to cut up and package Becky’s body. The body parts were then moved to a shed 80 metres away from the house.

The teenager's remains were found on 3 March.

The jury took just three hours and 27 minutes to come to a decision over the charges against Matthews and Hoare. Both were found guilty of plotting to kidnap Becky.

Two men - James Ireland, 23, and Donovan Demetrius, 30 - were both acquitted of assisting an offender.

Additional reporting by PA