Nathan Maynard-Ellis

& David Leesley

  

Nathan Maynard-Ellis, had been diagnosed with depression and Asperger's syndrome, he would try to use this diagnosis later in court to claim diminished responsibility. For years, he had been addicted to thoughts of the violent sexualised killing of women. His interest may have been the motivation for him to enroll on a criminology course.

2007, Maynard-Ellis, aged-17 started a relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

2008, Maynard-Ellis took the girl to a towpath near a canal and repeatedly raped her, he allegedly told her where he would bury her if he was to kill her. The girl later came forward after seeing Maynard-Ellis on TV after he was charged with murder.

Maynard-Ellis, who had seen a psychiatrist about his fantasies, had collected newspaper clippings and books about serial killers, and horror films featuring decapitation and necrophilia.
He would later tell a psychiatrist he struck his victim with a rolling pin after she made "moves" towards him.

11th May 2019, 42-year-old Julia Rawson was last seen by her friends after she spent the day with them. Julia caught a bus on her own later that day, finishing the evening at the Bottle and Cork pub in Dudley town centre. 

14th May 2019, Julia was reported missing to police, after family and friends were concerned that they hadn’t heard from her and she had not gone to work.

15th May 2019, A missing persons search was carried out and as part of those inquires, using CCTV footage, police were able to determine that Julia had a chance meeting with a man, Nathan Maynard-Ellis, – and they were seen leaving the pub in a taxi at around 2am.

Once at Maynard-Ellis’ flat, he murdered Julia by re-enacting scenes from his favourite horror films, with the aid of his boyfriend, 25-year-old David leesley. The exact cause of death is not known, but, Julia, aged-42, was apparently battered with a rolling pin and her corpse was then chopped into 12 pieces by the two men..
The pair then put her body parts into bin bags and hid them around a field in Tipton, West Midlands.

Forensic experts were later to say in court that the body had been dismembered with probably a hand saw. There were multiple cuts, and it was apparent that some were straight cuts, while others would appear to show a stop / start motion, suggesting that both men were involved.

Maynard-Ellis shared the flat with boyfriend David Leesley in Mission Drive, Dudley port. When police arrived to search the tiny flat, they found the property filled to the brim with stuffed creatures on the walls, numerous face masks, a Chucky doll, reptiles in tanks and many DVDs and books about serial killers, and murder.
Knives, saws, axes and other bladed articles were also found crammed in next to horror memorabilia. When police searched the flat they found a new carpet and sofa, on moving these they found bloodstains on the wooden floor.

CCTV footage showed Maynard-Ellis and Leesley walking away from the flat on many occasions, casually walking along the towpath with carrier bags. four body parts were found at one site and seven at the other, in weighted-down bags.

12th June 2019 & 29th June 2019, at two separate locations next to the local industrial estate police discovered the remains of Julia

7th October 2020, at Coventry Crown Court, Nathan Maynard-Ellis was charged with murder, Rape - 4 counts, attempted rape, perverting the course of justice, and, Obstructing a Coroner / preventing the burial of a body. Maynard-Ellis pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and preventing a burial, but denied murder and rape. 

David Leesley also denied murder but pleaded guilty to  perverting the course of justice, and, obstructing a Coroner / preventing the burial of a body.

9th November 2020, the jury finds both men guilty of murder. Sentencing was postponed to allow for reports.

21st December 2020, Sentencing the killers, who appeared at Warwick Crown Court on Monday, Mr Justice Soole ordered Maynard-Ellis to serve a life sentence, with a minimum of at least 30-years and handed David Leesley a 19-year minimum term.

<< Back