There were a number of shocking cases heard throughout courts in Wales in 2022 but no crime is more serious than taking the life of another person. Those convicted of murder automatically receive life imprisonment with a minimum tariff which often lasts decades. Those convicted of manslaughter receive more lenient sentences but have to live with the fact they have ended another human life.
The most important people to remember when it comes to these cases are the victims who no longer have their own voice. These range from a five-year-old schoolboy brutally murdered and dumped in a river by his own family to a respected doctor beaten to death in a targeted homophobic attack. Here is the full list of the killers who have been sentenced in Wales in 2022.
Angharad Williamson, John Cole, and Craig Mulligan
Five-year-old Logan Mwangi's body was found in the River Ogmore on July 31, 2021, after he had been reported missing by his mother Angharad Williamson. His stepfather John Cole and stepbrother Craig Mulligan had walked the streets shouting his name. But after police checked CCTV footage of the family home in 5 Lower Llansantffraid, Sarn, Bridgend, they saw Cole and Mulligan carrying Logan's lifeless body out of the house and towards the river. Williamson was left in the property and lights could be seen switching on and off in Logan's bedroom.
It was later revealed Logan had been subjected to a “brutal and sustained assault” prior to his death and suffered the kind of injuries usually seen in car crash victims before his body was dumped in the River Ogmore. Witnesses gave evidence about how Logan was mistreated by his parents, was made to do press-ups as punishment, was deprived food, and was locked by a baby gate in his room in the week leading up to his death.
Mulligan was brought to live in the house shortly before Logan's death and was said by Williamson to have performed a martial arts move on Logan after he had been assaulted by Cole. Prior to his placement in the house foster parents described Mulligan telling them how he wanted to kill Logan.
Having killed Logan the three killers made a plan to dispose of his body in the river to make it look like he had drowned and to report him missing. Williamson made a melodramatic performance in front of police despite knowing her son had died the night before. Had he received prompt medical treatment there was an 80% chance Logan would have survived.
Following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court Williamson, Cole, and Mulligan were convicted of Logan's murder. Williamson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 28 years. Cole was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 29 years. Mulligan was sentenced to life detention with a minimum of 15 years.
Jason Edwards, Lee Strickland, and Dionne Timms-Williams
Dr Gary Jenkins was murdered in a brutal and homophobic attack in Cardiff's Bute Park where he was beaten, punched, and kicked to death because of his sexuality. He was targeted by Jason Edwards, Lee Strickland, and teenager Dionne Timms-Williams who left him for dead and stole his bank cards.
Audio of the horrendous attack on Dr Jenkins behind the Summerhouse café was played to a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court where he could be heard pleading for help and for his attackers to "leave me alone". After 15 minutes of being savagely beaten by the group he was left covered in blood with his trousers pulled down.
He was discovered by police unconscious on July 20, 2021, and was taken to hospital where he was treated for bleeding on the brain and multiple fractures among other injuries. He later died as a result of his injuries in hospital on August 5.
After leaving Dr Jenkins to his death Strickland took the victim's card to a nearby petrol station and used to buy alcohol as Edwards and Timms-Williams hugged and embraced. After the attack had come to an end Timms-Williams could be hear saying: "Yeah I needed that."
All three defendants were convicted of Dr Jenkins' murder. Jason Edwards, 25, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 33 years. Strickland, 36, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 33 years. Timms-Williams, 17, was sentenced to life detention with a minimum of 18 years.
Lewis Haines
Lily Sullivan was strangled at a secluded beauty spot by Lewis Haines because she refused to have sex with him. He spotted the 18-year-old while on a night out in Pembroke but had been told "she's far too young for you" and reminded by a friend that he had a girlfriend.
The 31-year-old was later seen walking with Miss Sullivan on December 16 last year towards Mill Pond – a dark and secluded freshwater reservoir in the town – after they had been seen kissing. But Miss Sullivan, who was due to be picked up by her mum and had called her to say she was on her way, was strangled to death when she refused the advances of predatory Haines.
He then dumped her body in the reservoir. Her tobacco tin, mobile phone, and leather jacket were later found strewn on the ground in the lane and her crop top was found in vegetation near the reservoir. Haines walked off from the scene of the crime – and even past Lily's mum Anna who was sitting in a car waiting for her daughter – before confessing to his girlfriend: "I've strangled someone."
Father-of-one Haines later admitted murdering Miss Sullivan but denied sexual misconduct – something that if had gone his way in court would have seen the starting point for his sentence halved. However, after a trial of facts, Judge Paul Thomas KC concluded Haines had killed the teenager after she rebuffed his sexual advances. Haines was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years and four months at Swansea Crown Court. Miss Sullivan’s family and friends shouted “rot in hell” and “monster” at Haines as he was taken down to the cells.
Joseph Jeremy, Lewis Aquilina, and Kyle Raisis
Ryan O'Connor was murdered as he walked from his brother's home in Newport when he was stabbed by Joseph Jeremy and Lewis Aquilina. He lay bleeding to death near a roundabout in the Alway area of the city as the killers laughed in his face as they drove by.
Jeremy and Aquilina drive to Newport from Cardiff with Kyle Raisis, Ethan Strickland, and Elliott Fiteni on June 10, 2021, with the intention of robbing someone. They targeted Mr O'Connor, a complete stranger, for his Gucci bag and jumped out of the car and stabbed him with a 15-inch hunting knife.
Mr O'Connor suffered five stab wounds including one which pierced his left lung and his heart. His murderers were dressed in black with Aquilina striking Mr O'Connor with a machete as Jeremy stabbed the victim to the front and back. Aquilina kicked out at Mr O'Connor who staggered a few yards before collapsing near railings as the stolen Gucci bag was passed to Raisis.
The five young men then drove back to Cardiff where they became involved in a police chase, which Jeremy filmed on his phone. They crashed the car near a block of flats before they were arrested at the scene.
Following a trial at Newport Crown Court Jeremy, then 17, and Aquilina, then 19, were convicted of murder while Raisis, then 17, was convicted of manslaughter. Jeremy was jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years. Aquilina was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years. Raisis was handed a 12-year prison sentence.
Russell Marsh
Jade Ward was murdered by her estranged husband Russell Marsh after he snuck into her home before stabbing and strangling her. He then hid the mum-of-four's body under a pile of clothes. Marsh was said to have carried out a "savage and merciless" attack upon his former partner at her home in Shotton, Flintshire. A court heard he was unable to accept she was "moving on with her life".
On August 26, 2021, the killer told his bosses he needed to leave work early because his brother had attempted suicide. But he was instead tracked by CCTV, ANPR cameras, and phone masts heading to his former family home. Once there Marsh stabbed and strangled Ms Marsh before telling police he had "done something horrible".
Sentencing him Judge Rhys Rowlands said: "You sneaked upstairs where the victim was – not before going and telling your son that their mum had kissed another man. You had armed yourself with a knife from the kitchen before going upstairs. You wanted to make Ms Ward suffer. She'd have woken in the dark to find you in her bedroom."
Following a trial at Mold Crown Court Marsh was found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years.
Steven White
Jordan Cody was stabbed in the neck by Steven White who followed him into a tent and caused him catastrophic injuries. The victim was seen on video running from the tent before collapsing seconds later and bleeding to death.
The victim was attacked outside the Huggard Centre in Cardiff, a centre for homeless people, on November 23, 2021. White had been released from prison four days earlier and was struggling to cope with civilian life, telling people shortly before the stabbing: "I need to go back to jail."
Mr Cody, 31, was inside the tent used for drug-taking when White, 44, entered and stabbed him in the neck, piercing an artery and the jugular vein. The killer rode off on a bicycle and went to Argos to buy a radio and to Asda to buy a book called Better Off Dead. He was later arrested after flagging down a police Transit van, telling officers: "I think you’re looking for me. I have just stabbed someone in the neck". Upon being arrested on suspicion for murder White said: "It’s not suspicion, I f****** did it."
Following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court, White was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 26 years.
Lee Whitlock
Robert Farley was attacked with a hammer by his neighbour Lee Whitlock in an attack which smashed his skull. The killer later led police to the scene after claiming he was concerned about his friend.
When police arrived at Mr Farley's Barry flat they discovered his body which appeared to be severely injured. Whitlock denied killing the 61-year-old victim but later admitted murdering him after an argument broke out while they were drinking together.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Mr Farley had been hit with a hammer which penetrated his brain. He was alive for some time after the attack but it is not known whether he was conscious. Forensic evidence and CCTV footage proved Whitlock had been at the flat at the time of Mr Farley's death. Blood from the murder weapon had dropped on the kitchen floor and a blood spot was found there. There was blood on the taps in the kitchen which when analysed discovered DNA from the defendant and the victim. Whitlock was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years and one month.
David Maggs
Linda Maggs had been married to her husband David for 28 years before their relationship broke down in 2020. They continued to live in the same house with Linda occupying the upstairs and Maggs living and sleeping in the living room.
Around a month before divorce proceedings were finalised Maggs got up before his wife and went into her room at their home in Sebastopol, Pontypool, brandishing two kitchen knives. Linda, 74, was stabbed and suffered horrific injuries to her neck, chest, stomach and arms before her husband rang 999 saying: “I’ve just killed the wife."
When police arrived at the couple’s semi-detatched home on February 6, 2021, Maggs, 71, told an officer: "I’ve just had enough,. She tried to steal two houses from me – two houses.” A trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard Maggs was controlling and had attempted to prevent Linda from having her share of the family home. He became agitated in relation to a potential financial settlement of the divorce. He believed he was going to significantly lose out financially compared to his wife who he was convinced had hidden money away.
Following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court Maggs was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years.
Simon Parks
Great-grandmother Mari O'Flynn was strangled to death in her bed and sexually assaulted by her son-in-law Simon Parks after she refused to give him cigarettes. He later told a neighbour the victim was "a horrible b******" who had wound him up.
Parks brutally killed Mrs O'Flynn who was found dead at her home in Newport at around 1.55pm on May 24. The emergency services had been called to the house at Leach Road, in Bettws, where her body was discovered, partially unclothed with bruises on her face and neck.
The 52-year-old defendant admitted murdering Mrs O'Flynn after he became jealous of her when she moved in with him and his partner Claire O'Flynn, the deceased's daughter. He punched her in the face repeatedly before strangling her to death. He also sexually assaulted the victim but it is not known whether the assault took place before or after death.
Speaking to police following his arrest alcoholic Parks said: "I ended up strangling my would be mother-in-law over nothing... We had been living together 14 years fine and she turns up.... The most horrible b****** you have literally met in your life.... I'm not going to be able to live with myself after this."
Giving Parks a reduction in his sentence for his guilty plea Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years. Once he has been released from prison he will spend the rest of his life on licence.
Garvey Gayle
Garvey Gayle had suffered with severe mental health problems for years and had been admitted into a secure unit just months before he attacked his father Michael, 54, and mum Amanda Brookes, 50, while at home. The 23-year-old had been staying at the YMCA following his discharge but wanted to go back and live with his mum in Cardiff. Ms Brookes said she had concerns about her son coming to stay and had taken the precaution of putting three knives from the kitchen in the fridge.
But on October 16, 2020, Gayle appeared in "a rage" after his father – a man who was described as a brilliant dad and family man – came round to the house. Gayle left the house and the front door was locked while he stood outside. However he knocked at the door asking for a glass of water before managing to get back inside. The court heard he picked up a knife and stabbed his father multiple times and he later died at the scene.
Ms Brookes tried to intervene but was stabbed in the arm, stomach, and side. The court also heard Gayle suffered hallucinations and delusional beliefs – including one that thought he was in significant debt and people were going to attack him with machetes.
Gayle later pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his father and the attempted murder of his mother. He was sentenced to orders under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act and will be detained for an indefinite amount of time at a mental health unit.
Natalie Steele
Toddler Reid Steele was found "floppy and lifeless" on the bathroom floor after his mother Natalie Steele held him underwater in the bath. The 32-year-old told her mother and stepfather: “You’d better come upstairs” after plunging her two-year-old son Reid underwater during bathtime.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Steele had been mentally unwell for a number of months prior to the death of her son a the family home in Bridgend. A friend at the church she attended Heidi Ackland said Steele described seeing lights when she was tired and mentioned seeing demons.
Steele and her son joined a church camping trip to New Quay which began on August 9, 2021, but on August 11 Ms Ackland went to pick her up following concerns about the defendant’s behaviour. Ms Ackland “said the defendant was speaking gibberish, telling lies, and had a changed facial expression and her voice changed”. The court heard she was talking about scapegoats and had to have a sacrifice and that she was the sacrifice but everyone else would be all right.
Ms Ackland dropped Steele and Reid back at the home but later received a message from her which said: "I have done something terrible". The defendant's mother and stepfather performed CPR on Reid and called 999 but he later died in hospital. Steele later told her mother she "held him under the water" and said: "I felt like I had to protect him."
Steele admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. She was made the subject of orders under the Mental Health Act, sections 37 and 41.
Christopher George
Carl Chinnock was killed by a single punch to the head in a cruel unprovoked attack delivered by Christopher George. He launched the fatal assault on Mr Chinnock in the Salt Lake car park in Porthcawl on June 23, 2021.
The killer then fled the scene in a taxi and told the driver he "gave some bloke a slap" and had to "get out of town". Mr Chinnock subsequently fell into a coma and died two days later at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.
A trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard George was "spoiling for a fight" on the night of the victim's death having drunk eight pints and taken cocaine. He claimed he had acted in self-defence and attempted to pin the blame on three men who remained at the scene, claiming they "mishandled" Mr Chinn0ck when they attempted to help him.
The father-of-one was later convicted of manslaughter. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Daniel Howells-Thomas
Expectant father Keyron Curtis suffered a catastrophic bleed on the brain after being punched by Daniel Howells-Thomas in an unprovoked attack. The 21-year-old was knocked unconscious and later died in hospital.
The assault outside the Colliers Arms pub in Penywaun, Aberdare, at 1am on October 17, 2021, led to Mr Curtis being knocked to the floor and hitting his head on a car door. Howells-Thomas, who had previously assaulted Mr Curtis' friend Jordan Stokes minutes before, ran from the scene and was later arrested at his mother's home and asked police: "Is the boy okay?"
The victim was about to become a father and his daughter Hope was born three weeks after his death without ever having the chance to meet her dad. The family of Mr Curtis said their lives having been "destroyed" by the loss of their son and brother and asked for justice. Howells-Thomas pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court to nine years imprisonment of which he will serve half in custody and the rest on licence.
Kyle Ellis
Grandmother Susan Anne Hannaby was stabbed to death by her grandson Kyle Ellis who set fire to her home with her remains still inside. The 26-year-old of Ruabon, Wrexham, admitted her manslaughter on ground of diminished responsibility. The body of Ms Hannaby, 69, was discovered in her kitchen after the fire. Ellis had been experiencing a low mood in the lead-up to the fire and had made attempts to get help from doctors.
At the time of Ms Hannaby's death her grandson had been living with his grandparents for about a decade. He had given up cannabis following a split with his girlfriend and confessed to his mother his "head was in a mess".
Ellis attacked his gran – fracturing her cheek and strangling her. She had "slashes" and stabs to her body. He collected "combustible materials", disabled smoke alarms, and left her body to burn in the kitchen. The defendant was sentenced at Mold Crown Court to an indefinite hospital order (with restrictions) under the Mental Health Act.
Daniel Harrison
A son suffering with paranoid schizophrenia repeatedly punched and kicked his doctor father and stamped on his face during a brutal attack in the family home, a court has heard.
Daniel Harrison had absconded from a mental health unit shortly before going to his parents' house in the Swansea Valley and viciously attacking his dad and then catching a train to London. Retired medic Kim Harrison – a renowned chest consultant – never recovered from the brain injuries he suffered at the hands of his son and the 68-year-old died in hospital 20 day later.
The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility when he appeared at Swansea Crown Court. He was made the subject of a hospital order and the court heard that given the nature of his mental disorders it may never be safe to release him back into the community.
Nathaniel Nuttall
Nathaniel Nuttall punched his neighbour Lee Thomas to the ground then kicked and stamped on the unconscious man's head following an early-morning confrontation in the victim's flat. With the bleeding man laying at his feet Nuttall calmly called 999 and explained to the operator what he had done to his friend.
Nuttall was convicted of manslaughter following a trial at Swansea Crown Court. The 32-year-old had denied charges of murder and manslaughter, claiming he had been acting in self-defence when he "lashed out" at Mr Thomas. In a 999 call made at around 5.30am Nuttall told the operator: "Basically he started on me and I f****** punched him a few times in the face and stamped on his head several times... there's a bit of blood... I am surprised he is not f****** dead."
Nuttall, of Tenby Court, Monkton, Pembroke, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and will serve two-thirds of that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
Matthew Selby
Matthew Selby has been jailed for five years for killing his 15-year-old sister at a holiday park. Matthew Selby attacked his sister Amanda after an argument in a caravan at the Ty Mawr Holiday Park in Towyn, near Abergele, on Saturday, July 3, 2021.
At Mold Crown Court the 20-year-old, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility at an earlier hearing, was given an extended sentence of 10 years made up of a five-year custodial term and five years on extended licence.
The court heard that the siblings had been on holiday with their father Anthony when they returned to their caravan after a trip to Rhyl and began arguing. Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, said Selby lunged at his sister after she hit him with a plug causing a "trivial" injury to his bottom lip. The court heard that she fell to the floor between two beds in the confined room and Selby then got on top of her. Mr Baxter said: "Mr Selby Senior tried to climb over one of the beds and did all he could to help but was unable to get between his children. His son was too strong, his rage too high, and his daughter had nowhere to move."
The court heard that, as she lay underneath her brother, Amanda said: "Tell Mum I love her." Mr Baxter said Mr Selby pleaded with his son to get off Amanda but he did not get up until she had stopped breathing.
Emmett Morrison
Emmett Morrison murdered his vulnerable elderly neighbour in a vicious attack in the victim's own flat. He repeatedly punched, kicked, and struck Timothy Dundon with a hand-held massage device before pushing a heavy wooden cabinet on top of the stricken 66-year-old as he lay bleeding on the floor.
The defendant had denied murder but accepted a count of manslaughter claiming he had lost control after his friend sexually assaulted him. However a jury at Swansea Crown Court rejected that story and convicted him of murder after a day's deliberation. Morrison was also convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on a 74-year-old man who lived nearby in an assault carried out shortly after he had murdered Mr Dundon.
The body of Mr Dundon was found on the floor of the living room of his flat on Heol Catwg on the Caerwen housing estate in Neath on April 27, 2022. He had suffered multiple blunt force trauma injuries to his head, neck and torso along with brain injuries and was found lying face-down on the floor under a heavy wooden cabinet. Morrison lived in an upstairs flat in the same four-flat block where his victim lived. Morrison was jailed for life and ordered to spend at least 28 years behind bars.
Morgan Wainewright
A teenager killed a beloved family man with a single punch after taking drugs and drinking heavily on a night out. Morgan Wainewright, then 19, hit Andrew Nicholas near the King's Head Wetherspoon pub in Monmouth and the 43-year-old never regained consciousness.
Wainewright pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Nicholas – described by his family as an "amazing, wonderful, and loving son, brother, and uncle" – in an attack which took place in the early hours of the morning in Monnow Street. Mr Nicholas, a talented golfer from Poole, had been visiting the area with friends on a golfing trip, Newport Crown Court heard. Mr Nicholas died four days later.
Wainewright, of Mid Summer Way, Monmouth, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Nicholas. He was given a sentence of four years of detention in a young offenders institution of which half will be served in custody with the remainder on licence.
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