The 'quiet' Vogue model's son and heir to £230m fortune who stabbed his one true friend to death - and the missed opportunities to stop his savage killing

As heir to 1 of Wales’ richest concern dynasties, until past December Dylan Thomas had enjoyed a beingness of quiescent privilege.

But connected Christmas Eve greeting the unassuming and ‘unconfrontational’ 24-year-old ended the beingness of his aged schoolhouse friend, William Bush, successful an onslaught of astir unimaginable brutality.

Armed with 2 knives, Thomas targeted Mr Bush from behind, archetypal stabbing him successful the backmost of the neck. He past pursued the 23-year-old, inflicting dozens much wounds until helium fell to the crushed with humor pouring from his severed jugular vein.

The frenzied battle lasted seconds but the fallout volition ne'er spell away.

For his victim’s household the nonaccomplishment of their loved 1 successful specified a savage mode was arsenic shocking arsenic it was devastating.

Mr Bush had known Thomas since joining the aforesaid backstage schoolhouse a decennary previously. They holidayed, hung retired and, finally, shared a location together.

But specified is Thomas’ inheritance that this was a crime that resonated beyond those straight involved.

His grandfather, Sir Stanley Thomas, near schoolhouse astatine 15 to merchantability nutrient pies, establishing a concern that grew into 1 of the astir palmy successful Wales. It earned him and his household a £230 cardinal luck arsenic good arsenic wealth to put successful bully deeds and rugby, their different passion.

Of course, wealth is nary warrant of happiness, thing Thomas’s upbringing bore grounds to.

The tribunal heard that his parents divided erstwhile helium was 3 and determination had been ‘alleged home violence’. In fact, successful 2003, his father, Scott Thomas, violently attacked his mother, a exemplary who erstwhile graced the screen of Vogue.

Thomas Sr was jailed for six months astatine Cardiff Crown Court for the assault. This week, 21 years later, that aforesaid tribunal was the backdrop for his son’s trial.

And 1 question was astatine the centre of the eight-day hearing: Why?

Thomas admitted sidesplitting his person but denied murder, claiming diminished responsibility.

The prosecution lawsuit was that helium knew precisely what helium was doing and had planned the onslaught successful advance, adjacent studying the anatomy of the cervix hours earlier.

It was suggested his ‘resentment’ of Mr Bush had been increasing arsenic the dynamic of their relationship changed, with Mr Bush readying connected moving retired to unrecorded with his girlfriend.

While Thomas did not springiness grounds successful the case, watching via video nexus from Ashworth unafraid psychiatric hospital, it was claimed successful his defence that helium was psychotic astatine the clip of the sidesplitting and had since been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In the weeks starring up to the incident, the tribunal heard, determination had been signs of intelligence illness, with worrying comments made to Mr Bush and others. In a connection addressed to Elon Musk, helium offered to assistance him ‘solve gravity’.

Then, successful November, Thomas was arrested having climbed implicit a obstruction surrounding Buckingham Palace. While successful custody helium was interviewed by a psychiatrist but released connected bail – meaning helium was escaped to termination his housemate.

Yesterday, pursuing 3 hours of deliberations, the assemblage recovered Thomas blameworthy of murder. He volition beryllium sentenced adjacent month.

His grandfather, Sir Stanley Thomas, was contiguous successful tribunal passim the proceedings - the antheral liable for his family’s rags-to-riches tale.

Or, much accurately, pies-to-property-portfolios.

In the 1950s helium and his brother, Peter, joined their begetter selling nutrient pies door-to-door.

‘I retrieve travelling each implicit the Valleys and Merthyr, starting astatine six successful the greeting and finishing astatine six astatine night,’ helium erstwhile said.

Thomas Pies, arsenic it was known, was sold successful 1965 but 5 years aboriginal the brothers launched their ain company, Peter’s Savoury Products, which grew into a concern with a £70m turnover and 1,000 employees.

In 1988 it was sold for £75m, with the household investing successful a spot steadfast whose assets included airports successful Cardiff, Belfast and Luton.

That firm’s consequent merchantability boosted the household luck by a further £100 million, making them regular fixtures successful the Sunday Times Rich List.

In 2006, Stanley Thomas was knighted for his services to business, portion his member Peter went connected to go president of Cardiff rugby club.

Sir Stanley’s son, meanwhile, recovered himself making headlines for precise antithetic reasons.

In 1998, Scott Thomas launched Cardiff nightclub Scott’s, inviting friends including Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Simon and Yasmin Le Bon to the opening night.

The purpose was to rival the ‘ambience, clientele and chic’ of London’s clubs.

But the venue unopen aft conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft a clubber attempted to bash handstand and died erstwhile helium tumbled implicit a first-floor information rail, falling 20ft onto the creation level below.

By past Mr Thomas was dating Kirstie Howells, a statuesque blonde exemplary 10 years his inferior who worked for Versace and Armani and had walked the catwalk with Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista.

In 2000, Dylan was calved successful Jersey, earlier the household moved to a mansion successful the Old St Mellons country of Cardiff.

It was determination successful 2003 that the past 40-year-old Mr Thomas attacked his spouse aft returning successful a ‘rage’ from a concern luncheon with his slope manager.

During his trial, the tribunal heard however helium had hurled her implicit his shoulder, slapping her and beating her caput with a telephone and shouting: ‘I’ll termination you, I’ll termination you.’

Dylan was successful the location astatine the clip of the battle which near the walls spattered with humor and lone ended erstwhile Miss Howells managed to emblem down a passing motorist.

She aboriginal told friends: ‘I americium rebuilding my beingness and facing up to the imaginable of trying to explicate to Dylan erstwhile helium is older wherefore his dada had to spell to prison.’

An asthmatic child, Thomas was educated privately and it was astatine £44,000-a-year Christ College Brecon that helium archetypal met William Bush erstwhile helium joined the schoolhouse aged 13. The brace became ‘the closest of friends’.

Mr Bush, whose begetter is an English teacher, was a talented sportsman. He had a passionateness for rugby and would spell connected to play region golf. He was besides popular, thing of a opposition to his quieter and much introverted friend.

After school, Mr Bush went to university. Thomas meantime got a spot astatine Cardiff Metropolitan University but near aft a year.

He past moved into a £425,000 location successful Llandaff, connected the outskirts of Cardiff, that his gramps had purchased arsenic portion of his spot portfolio.

Mr Bush joined him determination successful 2021 and would assistance look aft his friend’s labrador, Bruce.

Thomas was incapable to thrust – helium had failed his mentation trial 5 times – and besides relied connected his housemate to ferry him around.

Alex Bush, the victim’s brother, told police: ‘Will had tons of friends. He was caring, possibly excessively caring astatine times. Loyal, highly loyal.

‘They would spell connected holidays together, not conscionable holidays families paid for.

‘I cognize they went skiing together... I deliberation Will benignant of felt atrocious for him and wanted to beryllium determination for him.

‘If Will came backmost location for Sunday luncheon oregon to play play helium would marque definite to get backmost due to the fact that Dylan was connected his own. He was conscionable caring.’

Neighbours told the Mail that they were ne'er troubled by large euphony oregon parties. ‘We ne'er had a peep retired of them,’ said one.

Thomas, who was teetotal but did fume cannabis, is listed arsenic the sole manager of 3 tech companies listed astatine the spot and astatine the clip of the sidesplitting had been moving connected virtual world headset accessories.

Mr Bush had worked arsenic a surveyor but had fixed up the occupation owed to accent and sick health.

His woman Ella Jeffries told constabulary that helium had shared concerns astir his friend’s behaviour successful the months earlier the killing.

That autumn helium told her of an juncture erstwhile Thomas had said to him: ‘I thought oregon wondered astir sidesplitting you’.

Mr Bush was acrophobic capable to barricade his chamber doorway that nighttime but Thomas did not effort introduction and they continued surviving together.

Then Thomas was arrested connected November 6 having scaled a 14ft obstruction extracurricular Buckingham Palace. The tribunal heard helium was rugby tackled to the crushed by a constabulary officer, who believed helium was unwell and feared helium could beryllium shot.

He was bailed to look successful tribunal successful February of this twelvemonth – having archetypal been interviewed by a psychiatrist successful what was described successful tribunal arsenic a ‘missed opportunity’.

The incidental had ‘concerned’ Mr Bush, his woman said. Although helium wanted to determination retired of the house, helium did not privation to permission his friend.

‘He wanted to look aft Bruce, and Dylan was his person and helium wanted to marque definite helium was okay,’ she said.

The 2 men were owed to person Christmas isolated and Thomas spent the nighttime of December 23 with his maternal grandmother, Sharon Burton, astatine her location successful the Vale of Glamorgan.

Agitated and incapable to sleep, successful the aboriginal hours helium did a Google hunt connected the anatomy of the cervix and recovered a aesculapian illustration of the main humor vessels.

On Christmas Eve greeting helium asked his granny to springiness him a assistance location truthful helium could locomotion his dog.

Thomas besides sent his person a substance connection saying: ‘I request to spot you earlier you go. Are you home?’ Mr Bush replied: ‘Yes, I’m home.’

Thomas arrived astatine the location astatine 11.16am and went wrong wherever helium seemingly equipped himself with a room weapon and a flick weapon and went up to Mr Bush’s chamber wherever helium began the attack.

In a constabulary interrogation Mrs Burton described however her grandson past emerged from the property, banging connected the windscreen and saying: ‘He’s gone crazy.’

‘I jumped retired and Dylan was conscionable covered successful humor and practically falling down connected the floor,’ she said. ‘I ran into the house. I could spot Will connected the level and straightaway I started to bash CPR connected him and didn’t halt until ambulance radical came.

‘I thought I felt a pulse but I don’t cognize due to the fact that my adrenaline was truthful crazy... His eyes were open. I thought I felt him moving but determination was thing there.’

During the interrogation Mrs Burton broke down successful tears and said: ‘I privation I’d ne'er taken him. I shouldn’t person taken him. I would ne'er person envisaged thing similar that from Dylan, not successful a cardinal years, due to the fact that he’s specified a quiescent boy...’

When constabulary arrived Thomas told them helium had acted successful self-defence saying Mr Bush had ‘gone mental’ and stabbed him with the weapon aft smoking cannabis. He told them: ‘He’s dead, I person f****** disarmed him.’

Asked wherever his person had been stabbed Thomas said: ‘To the assemblage determination are stab wounds everywhere. To the body, connected the face, connected the neck, conscionable f****** everywhere.’

Prosecution barrister Greg Bull KC claimed that Thomas ‘knew afloat good what helium was doing’ and that it had been ‘a planned attack.’

He accepted that the motive was unclear, saying: ‘To each intents and purposes, they were bully friends and that’s 1 of the mysteries of this case, we don’t cognize what caused Dylan Thomas to enactment successful the mode helium did.

‘Whether it was a feeling of loneliness oregon resentment, contempt having everything successful life, Dylan Thomas had achieved precise little.’

Mr Bush, by contrast, was astir to commencement a caller job, had a woman and was looking to determination out.

‘Everything successful his beingness was connected the up wherever it mightiness person been perceived successful Dylan Thomas’ case, beingness was connected the downward spiral,’ said Mr Bull.

But grounds presented by the defence suggested helium had been experiencing psychosis for up to six months earlier the event.

Dr Panchu Xavier, a forensic psychiatrist treating Thomas astatine Ashworth, said his household noticed changes successful his behaviour but did not realise they were signs of psychosis.

These included discussions astir teleportation, witches and the Illuminati.

Of his apprehension successful November, Thomas had told the medic helium had climbed the obstruction ‘because helium was trying to research vigor fields betwixt Buckingham Palace and Cleopatra’s Needle’.

Following his arrest, helium had asked police: ‘I’m implicit now, bash you caput showing maine circular the palace anyway?’

Drawings and letters by Thomas addressed to Elon Musk were passed to the doctor.

One connection sent to the Tesla laminitis was entitled ‘Gravity’ and read: ‘Dear Mr Musk, erstwhile you lick gravity you tin lick everything else. Have learnt everything astir everything successful a abbreviated play of 5 months.’  

Thomas besides claimed Mr Bush had erstwhile said to him: ‘I’d similar to portion your spinal fluid’. The psychiatrist said this was intelligibly an auditory hallucination.

On the onslaught itself, Dr Xavier said: ‘It’s not uncommon for radical with psychosis arming themselves with weapons if they judge they are going to beryllium harmed. (Thomas) believed successful immoderate mode helium was going to beryllium harmed, that’s his account.’

Of course, the world was precise antithetic and, to the last, Mr Bush had remained his 1 existent friend.

When constabulary asked his woman to picture him, she replied: ‘Kind, caring, funny, loving – he’d spell retired of his mode for anyone to effort and assistance someone.’

Loyalty and compassion that yet could beryllium said to person outgo him his life.