Cardiff, Wales – Dylan Thomas, the grandson of a pie company tycoon, has been sentenced for the “frenzied attack” that resulted in the death of his best friend, William Bush, on Christmas Eve. The 24-year-old Thomas had admitted to manslaughter by diminished responsibility but denied the murder of Bush, 23, at their shared residence in the Llandaff area of Cardiff on December 24, 2023.
A jury at Cardiff Crown Court found Thomas guilty of murder in November, leading to his sentencing on Friday. Thomas received a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 years in prison, minus the time already spent in custody. The court heard that Bush sustained 37 stab wounds, including 21 to the neck, resulting in his death from “multiple stab wounds to the neck and trunk.”
During the trial, it was revealed that Thomas used both a kitchen knife and flick knife in the attack on Bush. Despite claiming self-defense initially, Thomas was diagnosed with schizophrenia, shedding light on his mental state at the time of the incident. The victim impact statements from Bush’s family and girlfriend revealed the profound grief and pain caused by his untimely death.
The victim’s sister, Catrin, expressed the family’s devastation over the loss of Bush in such a brutal manner, forever altering their lives. Thomas’s lack of prior convictions and mental illness were cited in his defense during the sentencing. However, Mrs. Justice Steyn deemed the attack as “sustained and ferocious,” robbing Bush of a long and fulfilling life ahead.
Detective Constable Joanne Harris extended sympathies from the South Wales Police to Bush’s loved ones, acknowledging that Thomas’s 19-year imprisonment cannot undo the tragedy. Chris Evans from the Crown Prosecution Service reiterated the heinous nature of the crime, emphasizing the terrifying level of violence that led to Bush’s tragic death. The sentencing marked a somber conclusion to a case that sent shockwaves through the Cardiff community.