Man jailed for killing friend in Ynyshir after night drinking

Thomas Griffiths, 34, has been jailed for 11 years after killing his friend Christian Dean, 36, following a night of drinking and taking cocaine in Ynyshir, Porth.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that on June 26, Griffiths and Mr Dean had been drinking at pubs in Ynyshir, including the Union Jack Ex Servicemen’s Club, known as “The Bomb”, before returning to Mr Dean’s renovated home in Graig Road where they continued drinking and took cocaine.

The court heard Griffiths was described as acting “angry and aggressively” that night, while Mr Dean was “happy and bubbly”.

At around 10.20am the following morning, Griffiths called friend Aletia Richards, telling her “I’ve hit him” or “I hit him”. A neighbour heard a loud male voice say “I have just killed someone” and described seeing an intoxicated man wearing black jogging bottoms and a grey sports top.

Griffiths, who had dried blood on his left hand and sleeve but was uninjured, was collected by Ms Richards and his mother and taken to his parents’ home where he was helped to bed.

Ms Richards and Rebecca Williams then went to Mr Dean’s home where they found him dead on the kitchen floor. He was cold to the touch with a pool of blood on the kitchen floor and both eyes open.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Dean had suffered a graze near his right eye, abrasions to the face, and a puncture near the nose. The medical cause of death was given as a “lateral subarachnoid haemorrhage” as a consequence of “backwards and sideways movement of the head on the neck”.

When police arrested Griffiths at 1.51pm on suspicion of murder, he replied: “Are you serious mate, he’s my best f****** friend.” He added: “What the f*** is going on?”

In a victim personal statement, Mr Dean’s 12-year-old daughter said: “My dad was funny and would always have a joke and a laugh with us. We never wanted for anything. He was always supportive to me and my sister and he would always be there, together we would work something out. We would go out for food, play centres, friends’ houses, play board games and wind him up. He would say: ‘You’re lucky you’re daddy’s girls.’ He was always ready to have a laugh and joke with us. I would do anything to hear my mum say: ‘I am phoning daddy.’ All we have now of my dad is memories which we will treasure. I feel so much guilt. What if I stayed with him longer? What if I said yes to going for food? Would he not have gone out that night? Maybe I should have rang him and told him I loved him. My heart has broken into a million pieces. A part of me was taken that night. I would do anything to have my dad back, I won’t get the chance to tell him I love him ever again.”

Addressing Griffiths, she said: “I feel so angry towards you over what you have done and what you did to my dad. I will never forgive you for what you’ve done to our family. We live with this heartbreak every day.”

Mr Dean’s partner Kayleigh Shepherd said: “We will never understand what you’ve done to us as a family. Your horrendous, violent act means our lives will never be the same again. We live with the loss of Christian every day. I often ask myself why did you do it and not get help. You’ve not only destroyed who he was but everything he could have been. Christian was an amazing dad and stepdad, and we loved spending time together, time we’d simply be together. He and our five-year-old son had a special bond. They were best friends and he is lost without him. He can’t regulate his emotions and doesn’t understand why his daddy will never come back. His pain will numb over time but his loss will not. He has taken away future memories with his father. Christian was so loved by his family and friends, his smile would light up a room. We are left with memories, Christian’s loss will be felt each Christmas, birthday and events in between. You’ve no excuse for what you did. You took his life and left him to die alone. You tried to cover it up and went home to bed. Your actions have robbed us of a future with Christian, a partner, son, brother, dad, and dear friend. No sentence will ever be long enough. We love and miss him so much, his children are lost without their dad. We lost a part of ourselves the day you took Christian away from us.”

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: “You punched Mr Dean, killed him and left him for dead. When you left him, you knew or believed he was dead. You did not tell anyone and did not call for assistance, instead you set about getting away from the scene.”

She added: “Christian Dean was a man who brought happiness to the lives of those who knew him. You have caused unimaginable grief to those who knew and loved Mr Dean, including his children. It must be acknowledged there’s no sentence this court can pass that will alleviate the grief you caused. The grief you have caused will last a lifetime for those bereaved.”

Griffiths, of Riverside Close, Ynyshir, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of two years. He will serve two thirds of the sentence in custody before being released on licence.