Wealthy hotelier Bronwen Nixon spent her final day in the way she loved most - surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Lake District. Sitting quietly with her sketchbook, she captured the rolling fells and soft winter light, a familiar ritual for a woman known by locals affectionately as the 'Lady of the Lakes'.
By nightfall, inside her secluded cottage in the grounds of the Rothay Manor Hotel in Ambleside, that tranquillity had been shattered by unimaginable violence. After stepping outside to let her dog into the gardens, the 66-year-old divorcee was set upon and murdered by a 32-year-old drifter, who had killed before aged just 14.
Now, 40 years on, the maniac responsible for that horror in January 1986 is back on the streets - despite a judge once warning: 'I doubt if he should ever be released'. It has only now emerged that David Wynne Roberts quietly walked free last January after serving 38 years in prison.
A Notorious Case
Roberts was jailed for life - with a recommendation that he never be released - for murdering 67-year-old Bronwen Nixon in January 1986, a case dubbed the Lady in the Lakes murder. He served 15 years over his minimum sentence for the murder. Roberts had previously served seven years in youth detention after being convicted of murder in 1969 and was released in 1976. After his release he lived in the north west of England and in January 1986 killed the owner of a Lake District hotel.
His case is all the more notorious as he became the first murderer to be caught following an appeal on BBC's Crimewatch.
The Victim: Bronwen Nixon
Mrs Nixon's killing sent shockwaves through the Lake District - not only for its brutality but because of the standing of its victim. A respected and successful businesswoman, she had transformed a prosperous merchant's rural retreat into a thriving five-bedroom hotel and restaurant after taking it over in 1967. Sat beside the River Rothay, the award-winning establishment became a jewel in the area - with the mother of two at its heart and a beloved figure in the community.
Found trussed up in a bathroom by her son Stephen - her hands and feet bound by a Harrods bag and flex cord - Mrs Nixon had suffered a stab wound to her neck and five fractured ribs from a ferocious kick while prone on the ground. She was eventually killed having been strangled with her own white scarf. Her killer then fled in her own car, taking her purse.
The Killer: David Wynne Roberts
For a time, detectives were left frustrated with limited leads and the case threatened to go unsolved. Yet her murderer was closer than anyone had realised. Roberts had been living rough before being given temporary shelter at the hotel by Mrs Nixon, where he lived in staff quarters with his boyfriend. He knew his benevolent host lived alone and had told people at the hotel: 'I bet she is worth a bomb'.
Detectives had Roberts in the frame but little evidence to charge - and turned to the BBC's new show Crimewatch, which reconstructed the events of that night in unsettling detail. Former Cumbria head of CID Raymond Huddart later recalled how phones rang off the hook within seconds of the appeal being broadcast. He told the Daily Mail in 2017: 'On the night of the broadcast, 25 phones were set up locally as well as the studio call centre, but as we were to discover, 25 phones were not enough. Immediately the number appeared on the TV screen, every one of them rang. We received calls giving information that played a significant part in bringing Mrs Nixon's killer to justice.'
The evidence against Roberts brought a measure of relief but also revealed a dark truth - this was not his first killing. Seventeen years earlier, in 1969, he had committed a strikingly similar attack. Then aged just 14 and living in Anglesey, North Wales, he left a Bible study class at the home of his Sunday school teacher to visit 73-year-old widow Sarah Hughes nearby. Roberts stabbed her 11 times with a bread knife before fleeing with £10. Convicted of murder, he served seven years in youth detention and was released in 1976.
Legal Challenges and Release
Roberts was jailed for Mrs Nixon's killing after a two-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in 1986. The judge commented that both murders were strikingly similar and branded Roberts so dangerous he imposed a whole-life sentence. The case was subsequently referred to the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Lane, who commented: 'I doubt if he should ever be released.' Yet years of legal challenges saw his minimum term slashed to just 22 years - expiring in 2008.
Over a decade and a half, Roberts had numerous parole hearings rejected on the basis he was still too dangerous to be released. During that time, the killer took part in a revolutionary approach to dealing with prisoners suffering from personality disorders at maximum-security HMP Frankland, in County Durham. At the start of the course Roberts was assessed as 'posing a high risk of future violent offending'. After completing the course, two forensic psychologists said of Roberts: 'He was noted to have diagnoses of antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders and a probable diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder.'
Unsurprisingly, the Parole Board was reluctant to release Roberts. Nine times he applied for release and was turned down, most recently in 2023. A summary said the Parole Board was 'presented with evidence which caused it concern in relation to his openness and honesty with professional staff'.
Yet, despite those fears, Roberts is now a free man at 71. Officials insist he remains on licence for life, under strict supervision, and could be returned to prison at any moment if he breaches conditions.
Official Statements
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: 'David Wynne Roberts' crimes were horrific and our thoughts remain with the victims and their loved ones. The Parole Board - independent of government - directed Roberts' release in 2024. He is now on licence and will be for the rest of his life, with strict conditions and intensive probation supervision. Roberts faces an immediate return to prison if he breaks the rules.'
A spokesman for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm the parole review of Dyson Allen has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes. Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing. It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'
Legacy
Mrs Nixon is still remembered in Anglesey, not only through the hotel she started but also through a nearby footbridge built in her memory, which bears her name. The Grade-II listed hotel continued to be run by her two sons, Nigel and Stephen, before being sold in 2016.
