A convicted killer who brutally murdered his neighbour with a kitchen knife and a table leg before wandering outside her home covered in blood has been sentenced to life in prison.
Brian Whitelock, 57, was discovered kneeling on the ground outside Wendy Buckney’s home in Clydach, near Swansea, covering himself in dirt and saying, “I’ve killed Wendy”.
The 71-year-old had kindly provided him with odd jobs such as gardening, believing he deserved a “second chance” after being released from prison for murder and manslaughter, but he killed her by committing a sustained assault in her own home.
The pensioner was found naked and bloodied in her living room on August 23, 2022, after being repeatedly stabbed with a variety of weapons, including wooden shelving.
Swansea Crown Court heard that Mr Whitelock’s murdered 34-year-old Nicky Morgan with a pick axe or hammer following a drink and drug-fueled argument in October 2000.
He then went to a nearby garage and returned with a jerry can of petrol, which he poured over himself and lit on fire. Glen, his brother, died from smoke inhalation while sleeping upstairs.
A jury convicted him of Ms Buckney’s murder after deliberating for about 30 minutes on Wednesday, following a two-week trial.
During the trial, prosecutor Christopher Rees KC claimed that Whitelock had a long history of drug addiction and violence.
Mr Rees stated that Ms Buckney must have “suffered greatly” at the hands of Whitelock prior to her death, having sustained multiple stab wounds, sharp force injuries, and blunt force injuries.
He continued: “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.”
Whitelock, of Tanycoed Road, Clydach, represented himself during the trial, telling jurors that he had no memory of the incident and was suffering from a brain injury at the time after slipping while fishing.
He was seen arriving at Ms Buckney’s flat fully dressed, but by the time a neighbour saw him, he was covered in blood and wearing only his pants inside out.
A neighbour, Jeffrey Llewelyn, confronted Whitelock outside Ms Buckney’s house while he was kneeling on the front lawn, where he heard the defendant say “I’ve killed Wendy”.
Another neighbor, Paul Jones, overheard Whitelock say, “I didn’t know what I was doing until I came down from the high.”
He was apprehended by police at the scene and told officers, “It looks like I f****** tortured her, and I literally did. “She begged me to stop.”
He previously told doctors that he took “30 Polish diazepam per day” purchased on the street.
A doctor who performed a CT scan prior to the incident suspected Whitelock’s confusion in the weeks preceding the incident was caused by drug withdrawal rather than a head injury.
Following the guilty verdict, Whitelock shouted at the jury from the dock and had to be led out of the courtroom.
He stated, “I hope you all suffer a brain injury. I hope you all go through what I did. “You are all completely out of order.”
During his trial, where he represented himself, he told the jury that he hadn’t been in trouble with the law since being released from prison.
However, the prosecution claimed that this was false and that he had assaulted a Co-op employee in Swansea in 2020.
In a statement, Ms Buckney’s family described her as a “much loved sister and aunty”.
They stated: “Today’s verdict provides some measure of justice for Wendy, who was taken from us far too soon.
“While nothing can bring her back, we are relieved that the truth has been told.
“Wendy was a cherished 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 honor her memory every day.
“This has been a painful and heartbreaking journey for our family.”
