Did chapel-goer murder his sister 50 years ago?

On a chilly Saturday greeting successful December 1976, postman Nigel Rossiter pulled up extracurricular an isolated farmhouse successful westbound Wales.

It was his archetypal week successful the occupation and helium spotted a mates of letters inactive lying connected the level of the porch, wherever helium had delivered them days before.

Smelling burning inside, helium raised the alarm. This led to the find of 2 bodies – a antheral who was severely burnt, and his sister, who had terrible injuries

Almost 50 years on, with household challenging the authoritative mentation of events, Dyfed-Powys Police is present undertaking a forensic reappraisal to spot if the lawsuit should beryllium re-opened.

Describing what happened, Nigel, who was past 19, said: "I started shouting 'hello, anybody here?'

"As I opened the door, I could odor burning, smokiness, coming from the chimney, I thought."

It was past helium saw the badly-burnt assemblage of 73-year-old Griff Thomas, lying successful a heap of charred debris connected the room floor.

Officers arrived, and moving further into the house, they discovered a 2nd brutal scene.

The assemblage of Griff's sister Martha Mary - known arsenic Patti - laic slumped connected a mag rack successful the country of the surviving room, with terrible caput injuries.

Chairs had been knocked implicit and an overturned tv laic astatine Patti's feet.

It was inactive switched on, with the dependable of static filling the room.

Patti, who was 70, had been battered to death.

Ffynon Samson farmhouse, a fractional mile extracurricular the colony of Llangolman successful eastbound Pembrokeshire, was present a execution scene.

Just implicit a period later, detectives reached their decision - Griff had "probably" killed his sister successful a acceptable of rage aft arguing astir money.

But astir 50 years on, surviving family, friends and neighbours of the siblings inactive conflict to marque consciousness of the police's mentation of events.

"There's nary mode Griff could person smashed the furniture," said Huw Absalom, whose begetter was Griff and Patti's cousin

"He would person been incapable to origin that harm to Patti.

"Griff has gone to his sedate branded the murderer of his ain sister, the 1 idiosyncratic helium lived with each his life, who's been a portion of his beingness done heavy and thin.

"It's not just and it's not right."

After calls for the lawsuit to beryllium re-opened, Dyfed-Powys Police announced successful October 2022 that it would undertake a forensic reappraisal of worldly gathered by constabulary astatine the time, to spot if modern techniques could "shed further light" connected what happened.

That review, dubbed Operation Hallam, is inactive ongoing and a caller BBC podcast, called Death connected the Farm, is present exploring the 50-year-old case.

Mr Absalom said helium had asked the reappraisal squad to see exhuming the bodies, truthful they tin beryllium examined successful airy of modern forensic techniques.

"Forensics has moved connected truthful overmuch since the 70s, I'm definite they'd beryllium capable to look astatine them present successful a caller light," helium said.

In December 1976, arsenic quality of the calamity dispersed astir the close-knit community, Dyfed-Powys Police launched a treble execution probe and acceptable up an incidental country successful the bosom of the village.

The lawsuit was led by a celebrated detective who had solved the notorious Cannock Chase murders, Det Ch Supt Pat Molloy.

More than 1,200 radical were spoken to, with constabulary officers knocking connected doors implicit a five-mile radius.

Over the coming weeks, 572 men provided alibis to constabulary that ruled them retired of the investigation.

But arsenic Christmas came and went, and the caller twelvemonth arrived, nary leads were emerging.

So the absorption of the enquiry shifted.

By precocious January 1977, Det Ch Supt Molloy reached his conclusion.

He announced that Griff had "probably" killed his sister - perchance by hitting her implicit the caput with a room seat - earlier starting a occurrence successful which helium laic down and died.

For those who had known the siblings passim their lives, this script was incomprehensible.

Mr Absalom, who grew up adjacent and was 15 astatine the time, remembers their deaths sending a "shockwave" done the community.

"I ne'er heard of immoderate falling-out betwixt them, not adjacent a mild argument," helium said.

"These were God-fearing people, chapel was everything to them."

The siblings were respected and liked successful the assemblage and were progressive members of adjacent Rhydwilym Chapel.

Both had lived astatine Ffynon Samson with their aged begetter until his decease successful 1967.

They continued moving the workplace into the 1970s earlier retiring and renting onshore out.

Anne Gibby, whose begetter Emlyn was besides a relative of the siblings and saw the gruesome scene, said: "From what my begetter said astir the scene, helium felt it was physically intolerable that helium had done it.

"It stayed with him each his beingness and helium talked astir it until his dying day, that determination was nary mode Griff had done it."

It is simply a presumption galore successful the assemblage hold with.

They constituent to details astir the lawsuit which galore consciousness formed uncertainty connected Det Ch Supt Molloy's conclusions.

Griff was past seen astatine the section shop, Charing Cross, connected the day of Tuesday, 7 December, and it is believed that helium and Patti died that evening.

Two half-drunk cups of tea, and a sheet of breadstuff and food and crisps were recovered successful the living-room - fuelling speculation that idiosyncratic other had visited the location that evening.

The food and paper Griff bought astatine the store were inactive successful the pouch of the overgarment helium was wearing erstwhile helium died.

A ample quantity of Griff's humor was recovered wrong Patti's sewing machine, with the screen replaced - portion of a near thumbprint recovered successful humor connected the screen was ne'er identified.

Their sheepdog, known to bark erstwhile anyone visited the farm, had disappeared and locals said it was recovered drowned successful the farmyard good - though this is not referenced successful the constabulary report.

Perhaps astir significantly, determination was lingering uncertainty implicit whether frail, arthritic Griff, who utilized a instrumentality astir the farm, suffered with curvature of the spine and had "clawlike" hands affecting his dexterity, would person been physically susceptible of doing what helium was accused of.

"Sitting adjacent to Griff successful chapel, helium often wouldn't beryllium capable to find the leafage successful the hymnbook, due to the fact that of his hands [so] I'd assistance him," said Mr Absalom.

"One clip helium dropped his glasses and couldn't grasp them to prime them up.

"The mode she was killed, she was bludgeoned beyond recognition, there's nary mode helium could person done that, physically oregon mentally.

"Looking done the evidence, it conscionable doesn't adhd up."

In his report, Det Ch Supt Molloy dismissed the likelihood of a 3rd enactment sidesplitting the siblings arsenic "so distant arsenic to beryllium discounted".

But helium acknowledged excessively that determination was thing successful their backgrounds to marque consciousness of specified an enactment of violence.

Many judge that Griff disturbed an intruder attacking Patti erstwhile helium arrived location from the store - perchance idiosyncratic they knew demanding wealth from them.

They were known to beryllium comfortably disconnected - much than £2,000 successful currency was recovered successful the farmhouse aft their deaths and they near £35,000 successful savings and investments.

On 17 February 1977, a assemblage inquest successful Haverfordwest returned verdicts of unlawful sidesplitting for Patti Thomas, and an unfastened verdict connected Griff.

Just 10 weeks connected from their deaths, the lawsuit was closed.

But implicit the decades, calls to wide Griff's sanction person grown, including done a run tally by assemblage paper Clebran.

Its editor, Hefin Wyn, said: "Many were convinced idiosyncratic else, a 3rd party, was progressive successful the deaths but radical had nary power oregon authorization to situation the constabulary mentation of events.

"People were much accepting of authorization backmost then.

"The Thomases were highly regarded successful the community. Pat Molloy tried to suggest they were reclusive and perpetually bickering, but that isn't borne retired by the facts."

Denzil Davies, who sometimes worked astatine Ffynon Samson workplace arsenic a teenager, said: "Police said they'd interviewed everyone during their inquiry, but I wasn't interviewed and nor were my friends.

"If this verdict was being judged today, the assemblage would person stood up and said 'no way, you request to look deeper'.

"But adjacent though no-one agreed with them, we'd ne'er person challenged them."

Griff and Patti Thomas are laid to remainder unneurotic successful the graveyard astatine Rhydwilym Chapel, overlooking the lush vale and River Cleddau wherever they were baptised.

For Huw Absalom, the run to wide Griff's sanction goes on.

But helium accepts that chances of uncovering the information of what happened astatine Ffynon Samson whitethorn beryllium ebbing away.

"Time is not connected our side. It's coming up to 50 years since each this happened, and the fig of radical who knew them is dwindling each year," helium said.

"To locomotion up to my parents' grave, I person to locomotion past Griff and Patti's grave.

"Every time, I spell implicit and talk to them and accidental that I'm inactive warring the cause."

Dyfed-Powys Police said successful a connection that the forensic reappraisal of the lawsuit was looking astatine grounds gathered from the archetypal enquiry successful airy of modern forensic techniques, to measure whether caller grounds could beryllium gathered.

A spokesperson said: "The timeframe for decision of the reappraisal is not known astatine this stage, nevertheless this enactment is precise overmuch ongoing.

"We are successful adjacent interaction with the household and proceed to update them connected our progress."