Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence and animal abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Holly Bramley's mother has spoken out about her daughter's horrific murder in a recent interview.
In March 2023, Holly, 26, was killed by her husband, Nicholas Metson, who dismembered her body into 224 pieces and with the help of his friend, Joshua Hancock, the two disposed of her remains in the River Witman in Lincolnshire, UK, which were later discovered by a passerby.
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At Metson's trial in 2024, Lincoln Crown Court heard the 'barbaric' details surrounding Holly's murder, as the court heard that Metson had stabbed her at least four times in their bedroom before storing her remains in the kitchen larder in their shared flat before calling Hancock to offer him £50 ($61) for help with a 'job'.
Metson, 28, was arrested and charged after police realised he'd lied to them about his wife's disappearance. He initially denied the murder, however, at his trial, he plead guilty, leading to a minimum sentence of 19 years and 316 days in prison, the BBC reports, while Hancock was sentenced to three years and three months in prison as well as a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years for an unrelated crime.
Having previously branded Metson an 'evil monster', Holly's mother, Annette Bramley, has now spoken out in an interview, saying that she knew Metson 'would kill' her daughter.
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"I knew he would kill her." she told The Daily Mail. "I told police he would murder her; I told anyone who would listen. Her family could all see it, but nobody could stop it."
According to Annette, Metson, who had been seeing Holly since she was 17, isolated her from her family by making her believe they didn't love her and moving her 50 miles away from their home without telling them.
"She was young, and I would say quite naïve – vulnerable even. She had a child-like innocence to her that he used to his advantage," Annette said.
While she kept details of her relationship with Metson mostly to herself, Annette recalled when she 'turned up at our door devastated' and told her mum that he had 'killed their puppy' by putting the dog 'in the washing machine' and turning it on.
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"Holly found the dog and managed to break open the washing machine and pull it out, but he took the dog off her and put it in the shower with the water over its face until it drowned." she said, adding: "I can’t explain how terrified I was for her safety. I begged her to never go back."
Annette soon learnt of other alleged cases of animal abuse committed by Metson, including drowing three kittens, putting Holly's hamster in a food processor and murdering a cat before burying it in the front garden.
Scared for her daughter's safety, she attempted to speak to police numerous times, however, Holly refused to file a complaint against Metson.
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"It still plays on my mind why she would have gone back to someone who inflicted acts of such unimaginable cruelty on her animals." she said, adding that she was 'thankful' the pair had never had children.
"To me, the animal abuse is such an obvious precursor to the fact that he would one day act out these barbaric practices on a human – but nobody would listen, least of all Holly." she continued.
The BBC reports that before her death, Metson had Holly 'in a headlock' before she bit his arm 'in a desperate attempt to escape his grasp'.
He also used her social media accounts after her death to trick her family and friends in to thinking she was still alive.
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Judge Simon Hirst told Metson at his sentencing: "The cause of death cannot be established given how you treated Holly's body after you killed her."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
Topics: Crime, True crime, Domestic Abuse, Animal Cruelty
Jen Thomas