My daughter was brutally murdered and minimize into 200 items by her evil home abuser husband – a brand new legislation is required so the chilling warning indicators aren’t missed once more

Holly Bramley’s life was barbarically snatched away when she was brutally murdered by her husband of nine-years.

The 26-year-old had been isolated from her family by ‘evil monster’ Nicholas Meston, who convinced her that her family didn’t love her. 

He moved her 50 miles away from her family without telling anyone – and the pair eventually tied the knot. 

In the nine years Holly was with Metson, she was alienated from her parents, who were never invited to her wedding or even knew it was happening. 

Tragically, it would only be 18 months later that he would cut up her body into 224 pieces at their Lincoln home before dumping her remains in a bag for life in a river.

In the run-up to her murder in March 2023, Holly had reported Metson to the police for killing her pets in a gruesome fashion. 

On one occasion, she found her new puppy dead inside a washing machine with the drum still spinning after her husband dumped the dog inside. 

Another time, she fled to a police station with her rabbits in a bid to escape after he had killed her hamsters by putting them in a food blender and a microwave oven. 

However, according to her mother, Annette, the RSPCA were never able to bring any charges against Meston because her daughter had withdrawn her statement. 

Her grieving mother, pushing for a new law, said she had done everything in her power to convince her youngest daughter to walk away from the deadly relationship.

In a bid to help others in a similar situation to her daughter , Annette is now calling for Holly’s Law.

The proposed legislation would see a nationwide animal cruelty register created for individuals who harm or kill animals, to be brought into legislation. 

Domestic abusers often exploit the bond between their partners and their pets as a way to control and keep them in an abusive situation, the RSPCA reported.

‘[Holly’s] murderer was a man routinely known to cause harm to and kill the family pets. It eventually escalated in his actions to take Holly’s life,’ Annette said.

‘There were red flags around him about animal cruelty and our fears grew. We had formed an opinion of him from the start, which he took offence at.

‘He got his claws into Holly pretty quickly by isolating her and convincing her that he was the only person she could rely on.’

Metson was sentenced to life behind bars in 2024 after murdering Holly in their home in Stamp End, Lincoln. He will serve a minimum term of 19 years before being eligible for parole. 

Metson stabbed Holly several times in their bedroom before dismembering her in the bathroom, the court heard. 

He later stored her remains in a kitchen larder for a week before withdrawing £50 from Holly’s bank account.

He gave this money to a school friend, Joshua Hancock, 28, to dispose of her body parts in a river. 

Hancock was sentenced to three years and three months for obstructing a coroner, and many of Holly’s body parts, including her heart, have never been found. 

Meanwhile, Metson also chatted with her friends from her Facebook account to trick them that Holly was still alive.

But police were called to the couple’s flat after concerns were raised for her safety. Metson even joked to them that Holly might be hiding under the bed. 

Officers noticed a ‘strong smell of bleach’ and found bloodstained sheets and a saw.

‘It was hard, sitting in court next to him,’ Annette says. ‘I knew he would be there, but I’d never actually seen him up close before. 

‘He’d managed to convince Holly that she was so unhappy and unloved when she was living with us.’ 

Annette, who wears the only photo she has of her daughter after Metson ‘got rid of them’ around her neck, described Holly as a lovely and bubbly girl. 

Annette’s petition for an animal cruelty register has reached over 50,000 signatures as she remains hopeful it will be brought into legislation similarly to Clare’s Law.

The National Link Coalition found that people who abuse animals are often more likely to commit other violent offences, including domestic abuse.  

Both Annette and Holly’s family hope the petition will be a catalyst for much-needed change. 

‘I am also a survivor of domestic abuse,’ Annette said. ‘It is the least I can do after Holly’s death.’

She has worked on the campaign with Lincolnshire Police to raise awareness of Clare’s Law and how to recognise red flags that can signal abuse.

Around 3.8million people experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales in the year ending in March 2025, according to the Office of National Statistics. 

Over the last decade, 898 women were domestic homicides with 78 percent having been killed by a partner or ex-partner. 

It is estimated one in four women and one in six men will suffer domestic abuse in their lifetime. 

Detective Chief Inspector Rachael Cox, lead for domestic abuse at Lincolnshire Police, said: ‘We are indebted to Annette. Despite her grief she is determined to work with us to help us reach those suffering abuse.

‘She is an inspiration and a reminder of why we do this job. We are here to protect people and will continue to do all we can to raise awareness of what abuse is and to make sure everyone knows how they can get help even if they don’t feel they can approach the police to report yet.’