Becky Watts' stepbrother and girlfriend 'exchanged joke messages about kidnapping schoolgirls'

Nathan Matthews, 28, is accused of killing 16-year-old Becky with his girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, 21

Watts' body was found hidden in suitcases and boxes after being dismembered with a knife and power saw (pixel8000)

A couple accused of murdering Becky Watts exchanged messages about sex with teenagers and kidnapping schoolgirls, a court has heard.

Nathan Matthews, 28, is accused of killing Becky, 16, with his girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, 21, in a sexually motivated kidnap plot on February 19.

Bristol Crown Court heard Matthews and Hoare swapped text and Facebook messages concerning 16-year-old girls and kidnap in November and December last year.

Shaun Groves, a crime intelligence analyst, told the jury he had been able to attribute certain messages to either Hoare or Matthews, while others were unclear.

On November 20, during an exchange between 9.48pm and 9.58pm, one wrote: "lol but where's my lil sweat 16 ... ish. lmfao".

Matthews then allegedly wrote: "Blonde schoolgirls I be tapping?! hmmmm lol xxx".

Hoare is said to have replied: "F*** me what version of Up did you watch lol xxx".

The jury heard Matthews replied: "The one with schoolgirls doing porn :) I might have let my mind get away from me just a lil bit lol xxx".

Mr Groves said Hoare replied: "So you watched some porn where a blonde 16-year-old is having sex with a really, really grumpy old man in a floating house and there's a talking dog?"

Experts also recovered text messages exchanged between Matthews and Hoare on December 9 last year from phones they handed to police.

At 12.58pm, one wrote: "F*** you bring me back two pretty schoolgirls then :) ... "

A reply at 12.59pm said: "lol yeh I'll just kidnap them from school ... "

Later that day, at 6.14pm, one wrote: "Just went into Costcutter and saw a pretty petite girl. Almost knocked her out to bring home lol xoxo"

A reply 20 seconds later read: "Don't you 'almost' me ... Now DO IT bitch!! xxxxx"

One then said: "lmfao yeah I'll just go back in time to when I saw her then time travel her to our attic lol xoxo"

Matthews admits killing Becky after he went to her bedroom in Crown Hill, Bristol, with a mask on his face, to "teach her a lesson".

He claims he put Becky's body in his Vauxhall Zafira, drove home to Cotton Mill Lane with Hoare, and waited until she fell asleep.

The former TA soldier says he moved Becky's body into the bathroom and dismembered it, later moving the parts to a nearby garden shed.

Hoare denies any involvement before, during or after the killing.

Mr Groves said Hoare searched for information about Becky on February 23, using the term "Becky Watts Shauna and Nathan Matthews" three days later.

On February 24, Matthews texted his mother Anjie Galsworthy - Becky's stepmother - informing her their home had been searched by police.

"Hope you are managing as best as possible," he added.

The court previously heard Becky fought for life in a "vigorous" struggle in which she suffered more than 40 injuries and died from suffocation.

Nineteen knife wounds were inflicted after her death - 15 stab wounds and a slash to the torso, a long cut down her chest and wounds to her shoulders, a pathologist said.

Matthews, of Hazelbury Drive, Warmley, South Gloucestershire, denies murder and conspiracy to kidnap.

He admits killing Becky, perverting the course of justice, preventing the burial of a corpse and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Hoare, of Cotton Mill Lane, Bristol, denies murder, conspiracy to kidnap, perverting the course of justice, preventing burial of a corpse and possessing a prohibited weapon.

The residents of the Barton Court property, Karl Demetrius, 30, and his partner Jaydene Parsons, 23, admit assisting an offender.

Donovan Demetrius - Karl's twin brother - of Marsh Lane, Bristol, and James Ireland, 23, of Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, a work colleague of Karl, deny the charge.

The trial was adjourned until Monday.

PA