Man who stabbed 'lifelong friend' to death at their home handed life sentence
A man who murdered his housemate in a savage attack at their home has been sentenced to a minimum of almost two decades in jail. Dylan Thomas, 24, repeatedly stabbed William Bush, 23, on Christmas Eve 2023 at the house they shared in Llandaff, Cardiff.
Thomas is a member of the enormously wealthy Thomas family and his grandfather, Sir Stanley Thomas, has interests in several businesses including property and the famous family food firm Peter's Pies. A trial at Cardiff Crown Court previously heard Thomas had attended the Powys private school Christ College Brecon with William Bush and that the pair had been "lifelong friends".
Mr Bush, who had been planning to move out of their house to live with his girlfriend, suffered fatal injuries when Thomas attacked him with two knives on December 24, 2023 at their Ty Mathew home.
On Friday Thomas was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 19 years — taking into account time already served, 17 years and 337 days — after the court heard harrowing impact statements from Mr Bush's family and partner. Addressing Thomas, who attended the sentencing via video link from custody, Mrs Justice Steyn said: "You took a son from his mother and father, you bereaved the woman with whom he was planning his future, you deprived a brother and sister of their young brother."
On the day of the attack on December 24, 2023, Thomas' grandmother Sharon Burton had driven him to Cardiff from her home in Rhoose. The previous night Thomas had been searching the internet for information on veins and arteries in the neck. After arriving at the home he carried the knives upstairs and into Mr Bush's bedroom where he attacked the victim and pursued him around the house.
He used a 7cm-long black flick knife