Sarah Mayhew's remains were found under tragic circumstances

Harrowing hunt for Sarah Mayhew's body - dog walker's discovery and scattered limbs

Convicted killer Steven Sansom, 45, has today pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Mayhew, 38, whose remains were harrowingly found scattered across south London

by · The Mirror

Sarah Mayhew's body was brutally dismembered and disposed of in various locations around London.

Today, convicted killer Steven Sansom, 45, admitted to murdering Sarah, 38, and cutting up her body. Sarah's limbs and her head were found scattered across south London earlier this year, following the initial discovery of a human bone by a dog walker, which was tragically confirmed to be hers.

Sansom - who was previously convicted of murdering a cabbie in 1999 - pleaded guilty to murder and perverting the course of justice by dismembering her body, disposing of it in various locations, and then cleaning up the crime scene. Gemma Watts, 49, faces the same charges and was not asked to enter pleas.

Killer who scattered woman's body parts previously boasted he murdered cabbie for £25Steven Sansom was a teenager when he boasted about stabbing a cabbie to death for £25, saying: 'His kids are going to have to see him in hospital over Christmas'Tom Pettifor, 26 Sep 2024
Sarah Mayhew, 38, went missing earlier this year( Image: PA)
Her limbs were harrowingly scattered miles apart( Image: Facebook)

Sarah was last seen alive in Sutton on the evening of March 8, with an investigation launched into her disappearance the following month. On the morning of April 2, a dog walker discovered Sarah's remains in Rowndown Fields Park in New Addington, after their pet uncovered a human bone.

Police were called to the scene, and arms, legs, and a head found nearby were confirmed to be Sarah's following DNA testing. Flowers, handwritten notes and other tributes were left in the area, while locals told MyLondon they'd found the discovery distressing. One resident said: "I don't like it, it's frightening."

Four days later, on April 6, Sansom and Watts were arrested, and subsequently charged with Sarah's murder. The Met Police confirmed at the time that they were both known to her. Prosecutor Tom Little KC told the Old Bailey: "The deceased's body was certainly cut up in parts with use of power tools."

An examination of Sarah's body determined that two small vertebrae in her voicebox had been broken and there was bruising to her skull. Her head had also been shaved. A grim search continued for the rest of Sarah's body parts, with the court informed that her torso was still missing.

Gemma Watts faces the same charges as Sansom but has yet to enter a plea
Sansom is a convicted killer and was found guilty of murder in 1999( Image: PA)

On May 21, a 'limbless torso' was found in the River Wandle at Rawnsley Avenue, Mitcham, by contractors carrying out cleaning work. A local resident told The Sun: "It happened at about midday today. They found a limbless torso in Ravensbury Park pond. The police wouldn't tell us what it was. They were dredging the pond and must have found it.

"Then forensics turned up. Me and my wife brought the dogs and we were told to move. It really is a quiet area and we don't have much crime. It's come as quite a shock." Sarah's family, from Croydon, were supported by specially trained officers.

Detective Inspector Martin Thorpe, who led the investigation for the Met, said at the time: "My thoughts remain with Sarah's family. We will continue to provide our support as our investigation progresses." He stated that the force was "not looking for anyone else in connection with her death".

On September 26, Sansom, of Burnell Road, Sutton, southwest London, appeared by video-link from HMP Belmarsh, wearing glasses, grey tracksuit bottoms and a grey T-shirt, and loudly proclaimed his guilty pleas. He denied three counts of possessing indecent images of children, which Judge Mark Lucraft KC said would lie on file.