Murdered schoolgirl Becky Watts ‘feared she would be abducted and was being threatened with revenge porn before her death’
MURDERED teen Becky Watts was haunted by fears of being abducted and that intimate pictures of her would be posted online, a report found today.
The serious case review also revealed Becky was seen by 17 experts from eight different care agencies but suffered a lack of "joined-up services".
One agency identified 16-year-old Becky as a potential victim of sexual exploitation - not because of her contact with step-brother Nathan Matthews but because a friend had threatened to publish "explicit photographs" on the internet.
She also raised fears about being kidnapped and became terrified to go out after reading about abductions and watching horror films.
Professionals dismissed her concerns as playing up, linked to being a troublesome teenager, and described her as "controlling", "lacking aspiration" and "not engaged with the assessment", the report said.
The review said workers failed to look closely enough at Becky's wider family - including Matthews and his girlfriend Shauna Hoare - as the source of her troubles.
Becky’s dad Darren Galsworthy and stepmum Anjie said that in hindsight they could see Becky’s behaviour was more challenging when Matthews was around.
The report says: “They wished they had realised the bullying she was experiencing from him at the time so they could have intervened to keep her safe.”
Becky was abducted and murdered by Matthews in a sexually motivated attack at her home in Bristol in February 2015.
He arrived with a "kidnap kit" including stun guns and cable ties, then suffocated her in her bedroom and stabbed her 15 times.
He then bundled her body into his car and drove back to his house where he sliced her up with a circular saw, wrapped the pieces in plastic and hid them in a pal's shed.
Unknown to the rest of the family, Anjie's son Matthews and his lover Hoare shared a warped obsession with petite teenagers and threesome sex.
Today a report by the Bristol safeguarding children board highlighted a series of oversights in the care she was given by social services.
It found a failure to engage with family members including Darren and step-brother Matthews, who was said to tease Becky about her weight.
When Becky was 13, stepmum Angie had approached social services for help with her disruptive behaviour and described Darren as being "at breaking point".
Becky went on to see a number of professionals including counsellors and family support workers.
She was later diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and was educated at a hospital school because she was too anxious to return to normal lessons.
The report found there was a lack of a "joined up" approach with key information not passed between agencies and those in charge of her case.
Despite her fears of revenge porn images and her vulnerable state, she was not referred to a Bernardo's sexual exploitation project because there was "confusion about whose responsibility it was".
The report says: "Although there is no evidence that Becky was abused during the time she was under review she did share worries that led to concerns regarding possible sexual exploitation, which she found difficult to discuss."
The review said there was no evidence professionals missed an opportunity to prevent her murder.
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But Sally Lewis, the independent chair of the safeguarding board, said: “Things could have been done better. She received a mixed service.”
Matthews was convicted of her murder in November 2015 and is serving a life sentence with a minimum of 33 years.
Hoare was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years in prison.
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