Clydach: Double murderer Brian Whitelock guilty of murder again

Whitelock admitted the manslaughter of Ms Buckney in August 2022 on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but denied murder.

The couple were neighbors and Mrs Buckney, 71, had paid the defendant to do odd jobs around her home.

The court heard his family were concerned about him working for them, but he told them: “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

In a 999 recording, the defendant is heard describing his victim as “the best person in the world”, adding: “I just shouted, there’s no reason for me to kill him.”

Prosecutor Chris Rees KC said Ms Buckney “must have suffered greatly” from “numerous blunt and sharp force injuries”.

There were too many stab wounds for the pathologist to count accurately, he added.

The defendant was convicted in 2001 of murdering two people the previous year, including his own brother. He was released from prison after his life sentence.

Mr Rees said he killed Nicky Morgan, 34, with a pickaxe or hammer following a drink- and drug-fueled argument.

He then went to a local garage, poured a can of gasoline over himself and lit a fire.

His brother Glenn was sleeping upstairs and died of smoke inhalation.

The family of another Whitelock victim said they “knew he would kill again.”

Nicky Morgan’s sister, Melanie Huxley, said she “should never have been released from prison”.

Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Davies, who led the investigation, described Whitelock as a “monster”.