Man jailed for murdering lodger and cutting up body

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Man jailed for murdering lodger and cutting up body

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Dorset Police

Benjamin Atkins ******* his lodger following a dispute over money and drugs

A man has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years for murdering his lodger and scattering his severed body parts in packages and a suitcase.

Benjamin Atkins, 49, ******* Simon Shotton, of the same age, at their home in Bournemouth in August 2023, following a dispute over money and drugs, Winchester Crown Court heard.

Atkins’ partner, Debbie Pereira, 39, was jailed for four years for perverting the course of justice and preventing the burial of a corpse.

The judge, Mrs Justice Stacey, said Atkins’ actions were “gruesome” and “shockingly callous”.

Warning: This story contains graphic details that readers may find upsettingdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Shotton family

Simon Shotton’s ******** were scattered around Bournemouth

Mr Shotton’s legs were disposed of on the Manor Steps Zig Zag footpath at Boscombe seafront in August 2023.

The trial was told how a member of the public was sheltering under a tree when a package containing the human ******** landed beside her.

In September, the victim’s arms were found in the couple’s garden in Aylesbury Road, and his torso was discovered in a suitcase at Boscombe Chine Gardens.

Police said skull fragments were also found in Walpole Lane in February 2024.

‘Excessive self-defence’

The judge said a ****** broke out between the two men after Atkins stole money from Mr Shotton’s wallet and used it to buy drugs.

She said she assumed Atkins ******* the lodger in an act of “excessive self-defence”, repeatedly stabbing him and using a loudspeaker to stove in his head.

The judge added: “The ********* you used was ferocious, unnecessary, wholly out of proportion.

“You were by far the stronger. He was not a threat to you.”

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