A man who murdered his neighbour in an attack with a kitchen knife, broken table leg and wooden shelving has been jailed for life – and will never be considered for parole.
Warning: This story contains details readers may find distressing.
Brian Whitelock, 57, was found guilty last month at Swansea Crown Court of murdering Wendy Buckney, 71, on 23 August 2022.
The pensioner was found dead, bloodstained and naked, in the living room of her home in Clydach, near Swansea, after Whitelock’s attack.
The court heard Whitelock was previously jailed in 2001 for the murder of Nicholas “Nicky” Morgan and the manslaughter of his own brother Glen Whitelock.
He battered Mr 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.
At the time, he was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years imprisonment.
The Parole Board originally released him in December 2018 and in December 2020 he was returned to prison after being convicted of assaulting a shop worker in a Co-op store in Swansea. The following October he was released for a second time.
Whitelock then moved in opposite Ms Buckney, who employed him to do odd jobs, including gardening.
At his sentencing today, Whitelock appeared via video link from prison, wearing a grey T-shirt and joggers.
At last month’s trial, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility but denied Ms Buckney’s murder.
However, a jury found him guilty in less than 30 minutes.
Victim ‘must have suffered greatly’
Prosecuting, Christopher Rees KC said Ms Buckney “must have suffered greatly at the hands of the defendant before she met her death”.
Mr Rees said there were “significant similarities” between Ms Buckney’s murder and the deaths of Mr Morgan and Whitelock’s brother Glen, including that they were “without any obvious motive”.
Evidence suggested there were “further sinister sexual elements” to Ms Buckney’s murder, with Ms Buckney having been “stripped naked” by Whitelock, the prosecution added.
“It is impossible to say whether such activity occurred when Wendy Buckney was still alive,” Mr Rees added.
At the time of his arrest, the defendant was “wearing only boxer shorts” which had been turned “inside out”.
Family ‘traumatised’ by murder
In a statement read out on her behalf, Ms Buckney’s sister Anne said she had died in the “most horrific manner”, which had “traumatised” the family.
Ms Buckney was described by her sister as a “lovely, kind person” who was “bubbly and caring”.
“The way in which her life was taken we will never understand and we cannot or will ever accept,” she said.
She said Whitelock had “robbed” the family of their sister, auntie and friend and that there would “always be an empty void”.
“We can never move on from this. However, we just want justice for our sister and our auntie,” she added.
“He has taken the life of his friend, the person who never did him any wrong.
“Wendy’s own fault was to care too much and believe everyone deserved a second chance.”
‘You inflicted a frenzy of violence’
Asked by Mr Justice Griffiths if he had anything to say in response to the prosecution’s submissions, Whitelock, who represented himself at trial, said: “What can I say? I deserve what I get.”
Handing down his sentence of life imprisonment, the judge said Whitelock killed Ms Buckney for his own pleasure.
“Every murder is a tragedy, but the murder of Wendy Buckney was particularly senseless,” the judge added.
“She was a person about whom even [Whitelock] had nothing but good words to say.”
Read more from Sky News:
King’s cancer treatment will continue in 2025
Two men charged over Manchester Airport incident
Man crushed to death at work
Mr Justice Griffiths said Whitelock had “degraded her body in death”.
“You inflicted a frenzy of violence on her, which caused her to die a brutal, terrifying death. She knew what you were doing to her,” he said.
“There were simply too many injuries to count.”
The sentence was met with applause from the public gallery, as Mr Justice Griffiths commended Ms Buckney’s family for the “great dignity” they had shown throughout proceedings.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said after the sentencing: “This was an appalling crime and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Wendy Buckney.
“A Serious Further Offence review is currently under way and we will share the findings of the review with Ms Buckney’s family.”
