Pie fortune heir jailed for Christmas Eve murder

The heir to a pastry institution luck has been sentenced to beingness successful situation for the "barbaric and cruel" execution of his champion person connected Christmas Eve successful the location they shared.

Dylan Thomas stabbed William Bush, 23, connected 24 December 2023, a full of 37 times with a ample room weapon and a flick knife.

Thomas, 24, who admitted manslaughter but denied murder, had looked up details of the anatomy of the cervix successful the hours earlier the onslaught successful Llandaff, Cardiff.

Thomas is the grandson of Sir Stanley Thomas, who made his luck with his member successful the southbound Wales-based household steadfast Peter's Pies, and who was contiguous successful tribunal for the sentencing.

Thomas volition service a minimum word of 19 years earlier helium eligible to beryllium considered for release.

It took jurors 3 hours to find him blameworthy of execution successful November.

On Friday, Thomas appeared earlier the tribunal by video nexus from Ashworth Hospital successful Liverpool, wherever helium is being treated for schizophrenia and psychosis.

He sat emotionless, speaking lone to corroborate helium could perceive the judge.

Judge Karen Steyn described the execution arsenic a "sustained and ferocious weapon attack" connected "a young antheral who had been a steadfast and loyal friend".

"He was a compassionate, loving, witty and vibrant young man," she said.

"He had a agleam aboriginal up of him."

She said Mr Bush was "senselessly murdered" depriving him of "many, galore decades of a blessed and fulfilling life".

She added the condemnation was "not intended arsenic a measurement of the worth of Will's life", adding that was "beyond measure".

Speaking successful court, Mr Bush's sister Catrin said her brother's beingness was taken "in the astir barbaric and cruel way".

"Will was specified a loyal, comic and caring person, helium lit up each country helium walked into with his cheeky grin," she said.

"My household person been near with a monolithic spread which volition ne'er beryllium filled."

John Bush, William's father, added their lives had been changed successful "a profound and cardinal way".

"Christmas volition not beryllium a clip of solemnisation for our household for galore years," helium said.

Elle Jeffreys, William's girlfriend, told the tribunal she had "lost a aboriginal we had some planned and prepared for".

She said helium was a large protagonist of Arsenal shot nine and was acceptable and active, playing play for his location region of Powys and moving the Cardiff Half Marathon with her successful 2023.

"Will was the emotion of my beingness and meant everything to me," she said.

"He would airy up immoderate country helium walked successful to.

"Life volition ne'er beryllium the aforesaid without Will."

During the trial, the prosecution told Cardiff Crown Court that Thomas was successful a "downward spiral" but successful power of his actions astatine the clip of the killing.

He had been arrested weeks earlier for trying to standard the obstruction astatine Buckingham Palace and had been released connected constabulary bail.

On the greeting of the attack, Thomas was driven to Llandaff by his grandmother, Sharon Burton, insisting helium wanted to locomotion his dog, Bruce.

Mrs Burton described him arsenic becoming "more and much agitated" during the journey.

When she parked extracurricular the property, Thomas went in, got the knives, went to Mr Bush's chamber and stabbed him repeatedly.

The prosecution said passers-by "heard screams of horror" from the house.

Thomas banged connected his grandmother's car model and she recovered Mr Bush connected the patio outside.

Thomas called 999 for an ambulance aft the attack, claiming his person had "gone mental" and stabbed him.

But the prosecution told the proceedings it was "a planned attack" by Thomas connected Mr Bush and helium "deliberately equipped himself with knives and attacked him from behind".

The tribunal was fixed adept sentiment that Thomas had been psychotic for months earlier the killing.

Jurors heard that helium told constabulary officers helium was Jesus aft his apprehension for the sidesplitting and offered 1 constabulary serviceman a "job with God".

Orlando Pownall, defending Thomas, offered nary idiosyncratic mitigation connected behalf of his lawsuit but said determination was not a "significant grade of readying oregon premeditation".

He said Thomas regretted not seeking psychiatric help, adding "opportunities were missed" by radical astir him earlier the attack.

Following the sentencing, Chris Evans of the Crown Prosecution Service said the "frenzied attack" was a "shocking" level of violence.

He added Thomas's actions connected the pb up to the execution "demonstrated helium was reasoning intelligibly and gave an denotation of his intention".

Det Con Joanne Harris of South Wales Police added Mr Bush was "killed by idiosyncratic helium regarded arsenic his person having done thing to warrant the brutal unit inflicted upon him".

The Thomas household institution was launched arsenic Thomas Pies successful the 1950s, selling sausage rolls, pies and pasties astir the southbound Wales valleys.

In the 1970s it became Peter's Pies, and is present known arsenic Peter's Food, based successful Bedwas successful Caerphilly county.

The precocious Stan Thomas passed connected the institution to his sons Stan inferior - Dylan Thomas's gramps - and Peter, the erstwhile president of Cardiff RFC rugby club, who died successful 2023. They sold the institution successful 1988.