Brian Whitelock: Convicted killer found guilty of neighbour's murder near Swansea

A convicted killer has been found guilty of his neighbour's murder.

Brian Whitelock, 57, was jailed for life in 2001 for murder and manslaughter, before his release from prison in 2018.

Swansea Crown Court heard he attacked neighbour Wendy Buckney, 71, with a kitchen knife, a broken table leg and wooden shelving during the attack at her home on 23 August 2022.

The pensioner was found, bloodstained and naked, in the living room of her home in Clydach, near Swansea.

Whitelock had previously admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility, but after a two-week-long trial, the jury found him guilty of Ms Buckney's murder on Wednesday after they deliberated for around 30 minutes.

Following the jury's verdict, Whitelock shouted at the jury from the dock: "I hope you all suffer a brain injury."

"I hope you all suffer what I went through. You are all bang out of order," he added.

Mr Justice Griffiths apologised to the jury for the "disgraceful behaviour", before adding: "You can be quite certain that Mr Whitelock is in a safe place from whence he can do you no harm."

Prosecuting, Christopher Rees KC said Ms Buckney must have "suffered greatly" at the hands of Whitelock before her death.

The prosecution also alleged Ms Buckney was sexually assaulted by Whitelock. But Mr Rees added, "whether this was done by the defendant before, during or after his attack upon her is impossible, forensically, to say".

The defendant, who represented himself at trial, told the jury he had no memory of killing Ms Buckney after he suffered a brain injury during an accident while fishing.

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In a statement released after the verdict, Wendy Buckney's family said they were "grateful that the truth has been heard".

They described Ms Buckney as a "much-loved sister and aunty whose kindness, laughter and spirit touched the lives of so many".

The family added that it had been a "painful and heartbreaking journey" for them and they asked for privacy to grieve.

Whitelock will be sentenced on 20 December.

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