Convicted murderer on trial accused of torturing and murdering his neighbor

A convicted murderer sexually assaulted, tortured and beat to death a retired horsewoman, a court heard.

Brian Whitelock, 57, attacked neighbor Wendy Buckney, 71, with a kitchen knife, a broken table leg and wooden planks in a sustained attack in her own home.

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

Swansea Crown Court heard Whitelock was jailed for life for murder and manslaughter in 2001 and was released from prison in 2018.

He beat Nicholas Morgan to death with an ax handle and set his body on fire. Whitelock’s brother, Glen, who was sleeping, died in the ensuing fire.

Christopher Rees KC, prosecuting, told the jury that Whitelock had a long-term drug addiction and a history of violence.

“Ms Buckney must have suffered immensely at the hands of this defendant before her death – you will hear evidence of the many stab wounds, sharp force injuries and blunt force injuries inflicted on her,” he said.

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

The jury was told that Whitelock had gone to Mrs Buckney’s flat fully clothed, but by the time he was seen by a neighbor hours later he was wearing only his trousers inside out and was covered in blood.

“The defendant admitted upon her arrest that he had not only killed her, but had ‘tortured’ her with various objects,” Mr Rees said.

‘After being arrested at the scene, the defendant admitted to killing Ms Buckney.

“When he was subsequently medically examined before his police interview, his version changed and he told police that he had discovered Mrs Buckney with these multiple, horrific and fatal injuries, but also that she wanted to have sex with him.

“When he was finally formally questioned by the police in the presence of his lawyer, he completely changed his story.

“He denied that he was the person responsible for Ms Buckney’s murder.

“He claimed he discovered her and saw some shadowy figures outside her house, so it must have been someone else who killed her.

“When he entered her flat he told police he simply found her dead or injured and tried to help her.”

Police were alerted by a neighbor, Jeffrey Llewellyn, after Whitelock told him, “I killed Wendy.”

Whitelock, who was on his knees on the front lawn brushing dirt over his body, continued to shout: ‘I killed her, she has fresh flesh all over her. She’s lying there face down. I don’t know why I did it. She has been good to me.”

He was arrested by police at the scene and told officers: ‘I tried to clean her up, now I’m trying to help her, but it’s damn late.

‘I definitely killed her, she begged me to stop, and then I touched her, she was stone cold…literally all the chunks of flesh fell off her, I don’t deserve to live, like, I should do ‘I haven’t been alive, like.’

He added: “It looks like I fucking tortured her, I literally did. She begged me to stop.”

Whitelock, of Tanycoed Road, Clydach, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility but denies murder.

Mr Rees explained that the defendant’s case is that he suffered a head injury on August 1 and August 16 and 17, which supports his claim of diminished responsibility.

“The prosecution case is that the defendant used a knife, table leg and planks to inflict the most horrific injuries on Mrs Buckney,” he said.

“The prosecution says the brutality and sustained nature of the attack goes beyond demonstrating an intent to cause actual serious bodily harm to demonstrating an intent to kill Ms. Buckley.”

A consultant psychiatrist examined Whitelock and concluded he was mentally ill at the time of Ms Buckney’s death, but later prepared a second report which said he was not suffering from a mental disorder and that his behavior was caused by substance abuse.

At the start of the trial, Judge Griffiths told the jury that Whitelock is unrepresented and is defending himself.

The process continues.