The couple are on trial for the murder of Simon Shotton.
A couple in Bournemouth, England, are on trial for the murder, dismemberment, and partial cannibalism of a drug user.
The body parts of the victim, 48-year-old Simon Shotton, were discovered by passersby in August of last year, according toThe Metro. The prosecution alleges that the couple, Debbie Pereira and Benjamin Atkins, killed Shotton and then dismembered him with a saw from a hardware store. They also allege that Atkins bragged about eating parts of the victim.
The couple were arrested after a leg was found on the beach. The police traced the leg back to Shotton through his phone records, which led them to Pereira. A search of their home uncovered more body parts, and a covert recording device in their police van captured Atkins talking about disposing of the arms.
In her police interview, Pereira denied any role in the murder and claimed that Atkins said he would take the blame for the whole crime if he admitted to cannibalism. The trial is ongoing.
Prosecutor Paul Cavin KC, who opened the trial at Winchester Crown Court, said, ‘A search officer followed what he described as ‘the smell of death’ to a hedgerow, where he discovered a substantial black suitcase.’
According to the prosecutor, there were ‘flies’ on this suitcase as well as a’stench of death that was immediate and intense’. Inside, they discovered ‘a headless human torso’.