A woman has admitted to murdering her mother's best friend in a stabbing attack, telling police 'oh well' when informed of his death. Rebecca Press, 31, changed her plea to guilty on the fifth day of her trial at Cardiff Crown Court for the murder of Richard Marc Ash, 57.
The incident occurred on July 17, 2022, in New Tredegar, Caerphilly. Press, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, stabbed Ash in the chest with a knife that penetrated his aorta. After the attack, she walked into her mother's bedroom and said: 'I have stabbed your f****** best friend.'
Press fled the scene as Ash lay dying, calling her ex-boyfriend Ashley Allen and later his mother in an attempt to escape. Police found her walking near the scene, and she feigned surprise upon arrest. When asked about Ash, she replied: 'He was my mother’s neighbour. What – he’s dead?'
The court heard that Press had become increasingly frustrated earlier that evening while trying to learn Allen's whereabouts from her brother Gavin. A row ensued, and Press headbutted her mother. Ash attempted to call 999 but the call was cut off. Officers called him back, and he reported that things were 'kicking off' inside the home.
Prosecutor Jonathan Rees KC told the jury that the knife blade plunged 7.5cm into Ash's chest, piercing the aortic arch and causing rapid blood loss and cardiac arrest. Paramedics arrived but Ash died at the scene around 2am. Press will be sentenced later this month.
