A man convicted of double murder has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal slaying of a woman, whose dismembered remains he discarded in various locations across London.
Steve Sansom, a builder aged 45, was on a life licence for a previous murder when he took the life of 38-year-old Sarah Mayhew. The Old Bailey was informed that Sansom, who had previously murdered a taxi driver in 1998, and his partner, Gemma Watts, both pleaded guilty to murder and obstruction of justice due to their involvement in the dismemberment of Ms. Mayhew’s body.
Sentencing the two, Mrs. Justice Cutts imposed a whole-life order on Sansom, ensuring he will never be released from prison. In contrast, Watts, who is 49, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 30 years.
In her remarks, Mrs. Justice Cutts noted that Ms. Mayhew’s “greatest misfortune was to know the two of you.”
**Caution: The following recounting includes upsetting content.**
At the time of her death, Ms. Mayhew was a mother of two children, aged 12 and 15. She had met Sansom through an online dating platform a few years earlier.
The judge expressed her certainty that the graphic communications between Sansom and Watts shifted from fantasy to a premeditated plan to murder a third party. The court learned that when Sansom contacted Ms. Mayhew, he intended to kill her, and she was taken to his apartment for “depraved and violent sexual acts.”
Mrs. Justice Cutts remarked on the acute fear and suffering Ms. Mayhew must have experienced as she realized her grim fate. “She was an innocent woman lured to that flat to die,” the judge stated, highlighting the couple’s intention to act out their “bloodthirsty and wicked fantasy.”
The court noted that Sansom has never shown remorse for his actions, with the judge affirming that his crimes warranted a whole-life sentence due to their exceptional severity. While Watts exhibited an “obsession” with Sansom, the judge clarified that it was not a case of one person overpowering the will of the other.
Prior to the sentencing, Ms. Mayhew’s father, David, delivered a statement in court expressing his anguish, repeatedly questioning, “Why did you have to kill her?” He also expressed gratitude that the defendants pled guilty, thus sparing his family the trauma of a trial, but emphasized that “no sentence could ever equate to the pain you have caused us.”
Angela, Ms. Mayhew’s mother, shared her grief over the loss of her “beautiful, pretty girl,” lamenting that her absence leaves an unfillable void, stating, “I miss Sarah all the time.” She described her daughter as a “popular girl with many friends” and praised her intelligence in school.
Leading up to the murder, the couple had exchanged disturbing messages detailing fantasies involving killing individuals using knives during sexual encounters. Prosecutor Tom Little KC described the crime as involving sexual and sadistic elements.
The court established that Ms. Mayhew visited Sansom at his flat on March 8, 2024, around 11:00 PM GMT, after which she was never seen alive again. The details surrounding how long her life continued or what exactly occurred in the apartment remained undisclosed as only the defendants held that knowledge.
Ms. Mayhew’s head and limbs were discovered on April 2 in Rowdown Field, about eight miles from where she was last seen, with the remainder of her body later found in the River Wandle. At the time of her murder, she was residing in Croydon and had connections with both Sansom and Watts, who also lived in Croydon. Evidence indicated that Ms. Mayhew had been responsible for introducing Sansom and Watts to each other in the summer of 2023, and by the time of the murder, they had been in a sexual relationship for seven months.
Mr. Little noted that early messages between the defendants suggested a relationship steeped in sadomasochistic violence, with the two even declaring a wish to die together should they be apprehended.
After the crime, it was reported that Sansom attempted to justify his actions by claiming, “We’re not evil, we done the world a service.”
Sansom had a prior murder conviction and had served nearly 20 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of a minicab driver on Christmas Eve in 1998. He was released on licence in 2019. In mitigation, Charlotte Newell KC contended that Watts had experienced mental health struggles and had been “manipulated” by Sansom. Both defendants received concurrent five-year sentences for perverting the course of justice.
