A double killer freed from prison after being deemed low risk by the Parole Board has been sentenced to a whole-life term for murdering a neighbour who gave him odd jobs to help his rehabilitation.
Brian Whitelock, 57, who had been released after serving 18 years for the double killing, tortured and murdered Wendy Buckney, 71, at her home in the village of Clydach, near Swansea, in south Wales.
The trial heard that a relative of Buckney tried to persuade her not to help Whitelock because they feared he was dangerous, but Buckney, a retired riding school instructor, said: “Everyone deserves a second chance.”
There was applause in court as the judge, Mr Justice Griffiths, told Whitelock: “You will never be considered for parole.” The judge said the attack was a “frenzy of violence” and Buckney suffered a “brutal, terrifying death”.
Griffiths said Whitelock was high on Valium and alcohol when he tortured and killed Buckney and said he carried out the attack for pleasure and derived sexual satisfaction from it.
Whitelock was jailed in 2001 for battering a friend, Nicholas Morgan, to death with a pickaxe handle or hammer at a house in Swansea after a drink- and drug-fuelled argument. He then set fire to Morgan’s body to try to cover up evidence, and this resulted in him killing his own brother, Glen, who died of smoke inhalation while asleep in the house.
He became eligible for parole in 2018 and was released in January 2019 after an offender assessment review concluded the likelihood of him committing another serious offence was low, with the caveat that the risk could increase if he lapsed into drug and alcohol misuse.
However, his licence was revoked and he was recalled to custody later that year, having attacked a supermarket worker. He was freed again after working with the drug and alcohol team in prison and convincing the Parole Board he could be managed in the community.
The Guardian has seen a parole decision summary explaining why Whitelock was released again. It said he “takes full responsibility for his behaviour in the community and should have sought support sooner”.
The board concluded he had “developed insight into his risks” and believed a plan for his release, including him living in designated accommodation and limitation on his movements, was “robust”.
Whitelock moved in opposite Buckney and she employed him to do odd jobs in her flat.
Griffiths said that in the weeks before the murder, neighbours had been so concerned about Whitelock’s behaviour that they had called the police and the ambulance service. “All the warning signs were there,” he said. Whitelock was treated in hospital but refused help and discharged himself.
Jurors at Swansea crown court heard that in August 2022 he attacked Buckney with a knife, table leg and wooden shelf and sexually assaulted her. The jury heard that Whitelock may have been taking up to 30 “street diazepam” tablets and drinking a crate of lager a day as well as smoking cannabis at the time of the murder.
Describing Buckney as having a “heart of gold”, Griffiths said she had two stepssons, 16 nieces and nephews and a wide circle of friends. She was a “person who would give you her last penny” and Whitelock had referred to her as a “second mother” because she was so good to him.
In an impact statement, Buckney’s sister, Ann, said: “We cannot stop thinking about what this man did to her, constantly wondering did she suffer, did she know what was happening to her.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said a serious further offence review was under way.
A Parole Board spokesperson said: “One case is one tragedy too many and we take these extremely seriously. Where this happens, the Parole Board is committed to doing everything it can to learn the lessons that will help to prevent further tragedies.”
