The grandson of a pie company tycoon has been jailed for life after he fatally stabbed his best friend at a house they shared.
Dylan Thomas, 24, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years for the murder of his friend William Bush, 23, at their home in Llandaff, Cardiff.
A trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard Thomas had attended the Powys private school Christ College Brecon with William Bush and that the pair had been “lifelong friends.”
Bush, who had been planning to move out of their house to live with his girlfriend, suffered fatal injuries when Thomas attacked him with two knives on December 24, 2023 at their Ty Mathew home.
Dylan Thomas murdered William Bush on Christmas Eve
South Wales Police
Thomas, now 24, had been staying at his grandmother’s house in Rhoose, in the Vale of Glamorgan, the night before he attacked Bush, when he begged her to take him back to his house, insisting he wanted to walk his dog, Bruce.
His grandmother sat in the car while he went inside, but he returned minutes later, banging on the window covered in blood.
Thomas stabbed his friend 37 times, including to the neck, chest, head and back, and people on the street described screams of “horror” from inside the house.
The court heard that Thomas had searched online for the anatomy of the neck before going back to the house.
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Bush’s father, John, said in a victim impact statement: “This is not normal grief, where death is part of human existence and loss can be accepted and memories of loved ones celebrated. We are not there yet, and there is not yet any closure for us.
“We carry on with our own lives, but we know we are always pretending. We have also had to watch the pain of the loss for Will’s brother Alex and sister Catrin, and their partners, Ed and Olivia, and Will’s girlfriend Ella.
“We will share their future happiness, but we will always be tinged with sadness and loss. We continue with our lives because we must, but time cannot fully heal the loss of Will’s.
“Imagine all the things that you would have missed if you had died at 23 – marriage, children, family, the daily joys of the life. His life mattered. God bless you, Will.”
Thomas appeared before the court by video link from Ashworth Hospital in Liverpool, where he is being treated for schizophrenia. He sat emotionless, speaking only to confirm he could hear the judge.
His grandfather, Sir Stanley Thomas, the founder of Peter’s Pies, whose net worth was estimated to be £230 million in 2013, sat in court throughout the sentencing.
More to follow…
