Triple killer turns on jury in dramatic outburst after they convict him of murder
A man who has killed three people had to be wrestled out of court after he launched a verbal attack on a jury that found him guilty.
Brian Whitelock, 57, lashed out at jurors when they convicted him of his latest murder after deliberating for just 30 minutes.
He told the jury: ‘I hope you all suffer a brain injury; I hope you all suffer a brain injury. I hope you all suffer what I went through. You are all bang out of order.’
Whitelock represented himself in a trial over the murder of neighbour Wendy Buckney, 71, in her own home in Clydach, Swansea.
Following his conviction, the jury was told that he had previously been jailed for life in 2001 for murdering Nicholas Morgan with an axe handle before setting fire to his body. The fire killed Whitelock’s own brother, Glen, who was asleep. Whitelock was found guilty of manslaughter for Glen’s death.
In his most recent killing, Whitelock attacked Wendy with a kitchen knife, a broken table leg and wooden shelving during a sustained assault in her own home.
After ejecting him from the court for his outburst, Mr Justice Griffiths told the jury: ‘I apologise for that disgraceful behaviour, you can be quite certain that Mr Whitelock is in a safe place from whence he can do you no harm.’
He had previously asked if he wanted a barrister during his sentence, to which Whitelock replied: ‘What’s the point?’
Prosecutor Christopher Rees KC said he had a long-standing drug addiction and history of violence.
Ms Buckney’s family described her as a ‘much loved sister and auntie’, adding: ‘Today’s verdict brings some measure of justice for Wendy, who was taken from us far too soon. While nothing can bring her back, we are grateful that the truth has been heard.
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‘Wendy was a very much loved sister and aunty whose kindness, laughter and spirit touched the lives of so many. Our lives will never be the same without her, but we will continue to honour her memory every day.’
Mr Rees said Wendy must have ‘suffered greatly’ at the hands of Whitelock before her death, having sustained multiple stab wounds and blunt force traumas.
He also outlined evidence that she had been sexually assaulted, adding: ‘Whether this was done by defendant before, during or after his attack upon her is impossible, forensically, to say.’
Whitelock represented himself during the trial and told jurors he had no memory of the incident and was suffering from a brain injury at the time after he slipped over while out fishing.
He was released from prison in 2018 and moved in opposite Wendy, who employed him to do odd jobs, including gardening.
During his closing arguments, Mr Rees described to the jury how Whitelock had gone to Ms Buckney’s flat fully clothed, but the next time a witness saw him he was covered in blood, wearing just his pants inside out.
Neighbour Jeffrey Llewelyn confronted Whitelock outside Wendy’s home while he was kneeling on the front lawn and wiping dirt over his body, where he heard the defendant say, ‘I’ve killed Wendy.’
Another neighbour, Paul Jones, heard Whitelock say ‘I didn’t realise what I was doing until I came down from the high.’
The jury also heard Whitelock had previously told doctors he took ’30 Polish diazepam a day’ bought off the street.
A doctor, who carried out a CT scan ahead of the incident, believed Whitelock’s confusion in the weeks before was caused by drug withdrawal, rather than his head injury.
Whitelock had to be repeatedly told to stop interrupting the prosecution’s closing arguments, accusing them of ‘playing dirty’ and talking ‘bullshit’.
Providing his own closing statement, he told the jury there was ‘no doubt’ that he was suffering from ‘some form of brain damage’ and insisted he did not ‘set out to hurt anyone’.
He previously told the jury he had not been in trouble with the law since he was let out of prison.
However, the prosecution said this was untrue and that he had assaulted a worker in a Co-op store in Swansea in 2020.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Davies said: ‘We are pleased to hear of the guilty verdict, concluding what has been a thorough investigation into Brian Whitelock’s senseless murder of his defenceless victim.
‘The family of Wendy Buckney have been through a terrible and traumatising ordeal due to Brian Whitelock’s actions. With this verdict and the upcoming sentencing, I hope that they feel some closure.’
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