Those who knew Linda Thomas described her as a happy and out-going young woman who lived with her mum, liked listening to Cliff Richard and The Hollies, enjoyed having a shandy with her friends, and loved animals. Her dream was to win big on the football pools, buy a large house on a hill above her native Port Talbot, and fill it with cats and dogs. She also knew her own mind, and was something of a trailblazer who worked as a taxi driver - an unusual occupation for a woman in the early 1970s.
It was this job which was to bring the 22-year-old into contact with Trevor Howell.
Howell grew up in the same town as Linda, though he was six years older. He was apparently a bright boy and a hard worker on his grandparents' farm near Margam. In adulthood he was described as a "roamer" who moved from town to town and temporary job to temporary job. He was also a child sex offender with a violent streak and a string of convictions.
