Pie tycoon’s grandson guilty of murder after stabbing ‘best friend’ 37 times in ‘frenzied attack’
An heir to a pie company fortune has been found guilty of murdering his best friend in a Christmas Eve attack that saw him stab his victim 37 times.
Dylan Thomas, 24, was convicted by a jury at Cardiff Crown Court for the fatal stabbing of William Bush.
Thomas, who was described to the court as “something of a loner”, killed his “loyal” best friend in what prosecutors called a callous knife attack.
The attack left Bush with 37 stab wounds across his body, including 16 to the neck area.
Thomas sustained cuts to the palms of his hands during the incident, which he claimed to police were defensive wounds received whilst trying to protect himself.
The 24-year-old appeared via video link at Cardiff Crown Court from Ashworth Hospital Liverpool, where he is currently in custody receiving treatment for schizophrenia.
Dr Panchu Xavier, a consultant forensic psychiatrist at Ashworth, told the jury that Thomas may have experienced a psychotic episode during the attack.
The psychiatrist further testified that signs of psychosis could have been present “for up to six months before the event”.
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Prior to the murder, Thomas had been arrested for breaking into a property, the court heard.
During this incident, he told officers he was searching for “energy fields” between the palace and Cleopatra’s Needle, an obelisk in central London.
The situation ended when Thomas was rugby-tackled by an officer after declaring he was “over now so you may as well show me round”.
The defence team argued throughout the trial that Thomas was suffering from mental illness at the time of the incident.
They pointed to what they described as a “gamut” of signs indicating psychosis.
Mrs Justice Steyn KC, when sending the jury out on Thursday, informed them they could take as long as necessary to reach their verdict in the case.
The jury ultimately returned with a guilty verdict a few hours later.