Chef found guilty of killing ex-partner who vanished without trace after leaving Bristol pub a decade ago

The ex-partner of a woman who vanished without a trace more than a decade ago has been found guilty of her murder. Darren Osment, 41, is facing life in prison for killing mother-of-four Claire Holland, who has not been seen since leaving a pub in Bristol at the time of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

After an eight week trial, a jury returned a majority guilty verdict of 10-2 following six full days of deliberations and Osment will be sentenced on 20 December. Prosecutors told the jury he had murdered Claire and made multiple confessions that he did it because their child was taken into care.

She was 32 at the time and had said she had planned to meet Osment on the night of 6 June 2012 after a drinking session at the Seamus O'Donnell pub. Despite a number of high-profile appeals and campaigns over the years, no trace of her has ever been found.

The jury heard Osment had 'confessed' on a number of occasions during the years to 'unburden' himself as he struggled to live with his 'horrific' actions. In one confession to police call-handlers, he said he had strangled her as "no stupid bitch is going to keep me away from my boy."

Osment was released under investigation, but police later launched an undercover operation, for an officer named as "Paddy O'Hara" to befriend him and build up trust. It lasted for 20 months and produced 1,200 hours of recorded footage.

On one occasion, the jury heard Osment confessed to 'Paddy' he had ‘done horrible f***ing shit’ and could not turn the clock back as ‘what is done is done’. He also made reference to Claire having a ‘nice f***ing swimming lesson’ while he spat on the ground in the direction of the sea and then struggled not to vomit and mentioned her body being ‘half way to Spain.’

Videos of the encounters while driving and sat at home were released by cops after being played to the jury. In one clip, he imitates a 'slashing' across his body while making a swishing sound and describes the 'knife skill' he learnt as a trained chef.

And responding to questions about if her body would float, he responds: "It’s all f***ing weighed, it’s all down, it’s not going to come floating back up."

After declaring his trust in 'Paddy' Osment responds: "I don’t cast my mind back to what I had to f***ing, do you know what I mean. It’s not pleasant bro. It was horrible.”

On another occasion, he described it as "all done and dusted." He added: "All the work, clothes burnt outside, everything’s gone, everything’s gone As far as I am aware the bits and pieces are scattered.”

He later told him: “It makes me feel sick. But I did it for (my child). Cause she harmed my child. And how they were brought up is wrong. “Don’t f*** with my family. You harm (my child) or (my other child) mate, you’re going to get it.”

In an earlier 999 call to police Osment made in July 2019, he also told handlers he wanted to "hand himself in" for murder at Exeter Police station. He tells them: "I’ve had enough of it all now. I just want the monkey off my back." He then tells the handler: "I’ve took the law in my own hands and you know she took my son away from me so I took that from her."

When asked what he took from her, Osment added: "Well her life really….I’m not proud of it, my kid still asks Mother’s Days and things like that. Like at the time I was younger wasn’t I? I was young and angry."

When he is arrested, on police body worn footage, he told cops while volunteering his hands to be cuffed: "Had enough up to my eyeballs. Had enough ducking and diving, looking over my shoulder and all the rest of it. I’ve had enough. I just wanna get it, whatever’s done is done. I can’t turn back the clock. I want to get it deal with. I had her killed. I hired…I gave some money to someone and they had it done."

He later claimed in police interview he couldn't remember phoning them or speaking to them on arrival as he was "too drunk."

Bristol Crown Court heard the victim meant the defendant in 2008 when they became colleagues at the same cafe. She became pregnant with her third child, and his first, but the relationship turned 'sour' and 'abusive' as she was drinking too much, the prosecutor said.

Their relationship was described as "drink driven" but Osment reportedly blamed Claire when their baby was taken into foster care.

The trial heard Claire had been a "troubled" individual but her family said she was just getting her life back together and looking forward to a fresh start and "excited" about a brighter future when she disappeared. Staff and regulars at the pub where Claire was last seen said she left at one point that evening to buy 'bra inserts' from Primark as she was going to meet Osment - and had wanted to 'dress to impress' him.

Paul Brayford, the landlord, said that day she came in alone for the first time in a while and asked if she was 'barred'. He added: "She was larger than life, happy, a bit over the top, in good stead. She said she was going to see Darren that evening. She was excited. She said she was going to Primark to go and buy some nice clothes. She said she was going to make herself look nice for him."

Prosecutor, Andrew Langdon KC told the jury: "Her disappearance that night is not some dark coincidence. As he has subsequently confessed a number of times, he met her and he killed her and, either alone or with the help of others, he no doubt would have had to pay given the risk they took, he got rid of her body."

While on remand awaiting trial, the court heard Osment made another confession - this time to a fellow inmate. In a police statement, the defendant said any confessions were due to being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. He told cops: "I am an alcoholic and I reiterate that any comments I have made contrary to my innocence in this matter are entirely untrue and would only have been made under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Understandably and despite being entirely innocent, I have been under significant pressure as a result of this investigation. It has caused my mental health to decline significantly and I have been extremely isolated. I truly hope that the police are able to find answers to Claire’s disappearance. I did not have any involvement whatsoever."

Osment will be sentenced at 2pm on December 20 at Bristol Crown Court. The Honorable Mrs Justice Cutts told him: "I am not going to sentence you - but sentence you next Wednesday, December 20. You must understand the law requires me to pass a sentence of life in prison. The question I must resolve is what the minimum term should be. In the meantime you remain in custody. You can go down."