Former butcher Christopher Wright, 73, has been jailed for at least 35 years for murdering Richard Dyson, 55, and concealing his dismembered body in a concrete-filled barrel for six years. The judge at Sheffield Crown Court said Wright was likely to die in prison.
Murder and concealment
Wright, a farmer and antique firearms collector, shot Dyson twice after suspecting him of theft. Over the following days, he dismembered the body, bought cement from a builder's merchant, and hid the parts in a blue barrel. He then placed the barrel on a trailer and persuaded an unwitting neighbour to store it.
Dyson, who lived in his car on Wright's land in Hoyland, Barnsley, was reported missing by his daughter. The missing person inquiry became a murder investigation, and officers found the concealed body last year.
Court proceedings
Wright was convicted of murder, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial, and firearms offences. His childhood friend Karl Schwalbe, 72, was convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and jailed for three years.
Judge Mr Justice Cotter said: "You had worked as a butcher and were skilled enough to do such a terrible thing, something few ordinary people would have the stomach for."
Victim's family statement
In a victim's statement, Dyson's daughter Bethany Dainty said: "I couldn't grieve because I did not know the truth."
During the investigation, Wright and Schwalbe were recorded discussing police CCTV in a car park. Wright was also filmed in a hotel praying for absolution and that his weapons would not be found.
