Man who murdered neighbour with kitchen knife jailed at Swansea Crown Court

  • ITV Wales' Dean Thomas-Welch reports

A man who attacked and killed his 71-year-old neighbour has been sentenced to life at Swansea Crown Court for murder.

Brian Whitelock, 57, attacked Wendy Buckney with a kitchen knife, a broken table leg and wooden shelving during a sustained assault in her own home.

The pensioner was discovered, naked and covered in blood, in the living room of her home in Clydach, near Swansea, on August 23 2022.

The court previously heard how Whitelock had also been jailed for life in 2001 for murder and manslaughter but was released from prison in 2018.

Whitelock will now spend the rest of his life behind bars as the judge said "the seriousness" of the crime is so "exceptionally high" that the punishment should be a whole life prison order.

Wendy Buckney, a retired horse riding instructor, would sometimes employ Whitelock to do odd jobs like gardening. Credit: South Wales Police/PA

In November this year, Whitelock was convicted of murdering Ms Buckney by a jury who deliberated for around 30 minutes following a two-week-long trial.

Following the guilty verdict, Whitelock shouted at the jury from the dock and had to be escorted from the courtroom.

Ahead of Whitelock’s outburst, Mr Justice Griffiths had asked if he wanted a barrister to represent him during the sentencing.

The defendant said: “What’s the point?”

Trial judge Mr Justice Griffiths asked Whitelock if he had any comments in response to the proposed whole life order.

Whitelock replied: “What can I say? I didn’t deserve it, head injury or not.”

Imposing a whole life order, the judge said Ms Buckney had given him money for odd jobs and provided him with food.

“You described her as like a second mother to you. She deserved nothing but your gratitude, but you brutally murdered her, and you have never, ever suggested a motive,” he said.

“You killed her for your own pleasure. After the cruelty of your attack on her in life, you degraded her body in death.

“You yourself told people afterwards that she was begging you to stop. You described it as torture and that is what it was.

“There is no doubt that there was a sexual element to the pleasure you took in your attack.”

The judge added: “This a case of the most extreme gravity.

The evening before Ms Buckley's body is discovered, Whitelock is caught on camera leaving his flat and heading to her property. Credit: South Wales Police

“I have no doubt that the seriousness of this murder is so exceptionally high that just punishment requires you to be kept in prison for the rest of your life.

“Therefore, the early release provisions will not apply and you will never be considered for parole.”

During the trial, Christopher Rees KC, prosecuting, said Whitelock had a long-standing drug addiction and history of violence.

Mr Rees said Ms Buckney must have “suffered greatly” at the hands of Whitelock before her death, having sustained multiple stab injuries, sharp force injuries and blunt force injuries.

He added: “You will also hear evidence of sexual assault upon her – whether this was done by the defendant before, during or after his attack upon her is impossible, forensically, to say.”

In the hours before the attack, Ms Buckley was captured on shop CCTV. She then went home and is last seen on camera getting out of her car. Credit: South Wales Police

Whitelock, of Tanycoed Road, Clydach, represented himself during the trial and told jurors he had no memory of the incident and was suffering from a brain injury at the time after he slipped over while out fishing.

Whitelock had previously been jailed in 2001 after he battered Nicholas Morgan to death with an axe handle and set fire to his body. Whitelock’s brother, Glen, who was asleep, died in the subsequent blaze.

He was released from prison in 2018 and moved in opposite Ms Buckney, who employed him to do odd jobs, including gardening.

During his closing arguments, Mr Rees described to the jury how Whitelock had gone to Ms Buckney’s flat fully clothed, but the next time a neighbour saw him he was covered in blood, wearing just his pants inside out.

Jeffrey Llewelyn, a neighbour, confronted Whitelock outside Ms Buckney’s house while he was kneeling on the front lawn and wiping dirt over his body, where he heard the defendant say “I’ve killed Wendy”.

  • Part of the call Jeffrey Llewelyn made to the police after discovering Whitelock at Ms Buckney's home

Credit: South Wales Police

Another neighbour, Paul Jones, heard Whitelock say, “I didn’t realise what I was doing until I came down from the high”.

The jury also heard Whitelock had previously told doctors he took “30 Polish diazepam a day” bought off the street.

A doctor who carried out a CT scan ahead of the incident believed Whitelock’s confusion in the weeks before was caused by drug withdrawal, rather than his head injury.

In a statement released following the jury's guilty verdict, Ms Buckney’s family described her as a “much loved sister and aunty”.

They said: “Today’s verdict brings some measure of justice for Wendy, who was taken from us far too soon.

“While nothing can bring her back, we are grateful that the truth has been heard.

“Wendy was a very much loved sister and aunty whose kindness, laughter and spirit touched the lives of so many.

“Our lives will never be the same without her, but we will continue to honour her memory every day.

“This has been a painful and heartbreaking journey for our family.

“We thank everyone who has supported us during this incredibly difficult time and we ask for privacy as we continue to grieve and heal in the wake of this tragedy.”

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