'Loyal' pal killed on Christmas Eve by long-term friend in line for fortune

The heir to a pie company fortune has been found guilty of the murder of his best friend on Christmas Eve. Dylan Thomas, 24, the grandson of pie company tycoon Sir Stanley Thomas, killed his friend William Bush, 23, on December 24 2023 at their home in Llandaff, Cardiff.

Thomas was found guilty of murder on Thursday after a week-long trial at Cardiff Crown Court. He previously admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility but denied murder ahead of the trial.

Sir Stanley Thomas, the founder of Peter’s Pies, whose net worth was estimated to be £230 million in 2013, sat in court throughout the trial.

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Thomas had been staying at his grandmother’s house in Rhoose, in the Vale of Glamorgan, the night before he attacked Mr Bush. He told her he wanted to go back to the house he shared with his friend to walk his dog, Bruce.

His grandmother sat in the car while he went inside, before returning minutes later, banging on the window covered in blood. She carried out CPR on Mr Bush until the paramedics arrived.

Mr Bush sustained 37 stab wounds in the attack, including 16 to the neck, and people on the street described “horror screams” from inside the house. The jury heard that, before going back to the house, Thomas had searched online for anatomy of the neck.

Thomas had cuts to the palms of his hands, which he told police he received while trying to defend himself. The two had been friends since they were about 13, having met at Christ College Brecon, a private boarding and day school in mid-Wales.

Thomas was described to the jury as being “something of a loner” while Mr Bush was more outgoing and active.