D
Dotty
The prosecution has opened its case at Cardiff Crown Court in the trial of Thomas Jones for the murder by repeated stabbing of his former girlfriend Delilah Lloyd-Thomas, 44.
Jones, 73, has admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, claiming that that girl was no good for him and he watched as she deceived him and went out of his mind.
‘The facts are not in dispute,’ said Roland Williams QC, who is leading the prosecution. ‘Witnesses saw Mr Jones pass by Ms Lloyd-Thomas’s window that fateful Saturday night in October and stop when he saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind. He was spotted several more times lurking across the street all night, waiting to confront her as soon as that man drove away. Most witnesses assumed he was out dogging.’
Defence counsel Gareth Harvey QC will draw on police testimony to establish that Jones, a singer, was not of sound mind at the time of the fatal attack. ‘Mr Jones was provoked by Ms Lloyd-Thomas standing there laughing. He was like a slave that no man could free, even though slavery was abolished over 200 years and owners by definition had the right to free slaves. When they finally came to break down the door, he was found curled in a foetal position asking the dead woman ‘Why, why why?’ over and over again. Is that the conduct of a sane man?’
The notorious case has divided the women of Wales down the middle. Feminist groups have demanded an exemplary full life sentence for Jones as a deterrent against other violent partners, while other women have been hanging around the court trying to throw their knickers at the van carrying him to court and telling reporters that they ‘still definitely would’.
Williams is confident that the jury will convict Jones. ‘Relationships break down – It’s Not Unusual,’ he said, ‘but I hope it will be a long time before he can say I’m Coming Home to, er, The Green, Green Grass of Home. Look if you just let people just go around stabbing unfaithful partners, there wouldn’t be anyone left in Wales by the end of the week, would there? Yes, yes, not many sheep either, very funny.’
Jones, 73, has admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, claiming that that girl was no good for him and he watched as she deceived him and went out of his mind.
‘The facts are not in dispute,’ said Roland Williams QC, who is leading the prosecution. ‘Witnesses saw Mr Jones pass by Ms Lloyd-Thomas’s window that fateful Saturday night in October and stop when he saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind. He was spotted several more times lurking across the street all night, waiting to confront her as soon as that man drove away. Most witnesses assumed he was out dogging.’
Defence counsel Gareth Harvey QC will draw on police testimony to establish that Jones, a singer, was not of sound mind at the time of the fatal attack. ‘Mr Jones was provoked by Ms Lloyd-Thomas standing there laughing. He was like a slave that no man could free, even though slavery was abolished over 200 years and owners by definition had the right to free slaves. When they finally came to break down the door, he was found curled in a foetal position asking the dead woman ‘Why, why why?’ over and over again. Is that the conduct of a sane man?’
The notorious case has divided the women of Wales down the middle. Feminist groups have demanded an exemplary full life sentence for Jones as a deterrent against other violent partners, while other women have been hanging around the court trying to throw their knickers at the van carrying him to court and telling reporters that they ‘still definitely would’.
Williams is confident that the jury will convict Jones. ‘Relationships break down – It’s Not Unusual,’ he said, ‘but I hope it will be a long time before he can say I’m Coming Home to, er, The Green, Green Grass of Home. Look if you just let people just go around stabbing unfaithful partners, there wouldn’t be anyone left in Wales by the end of the week, would there? Yes, yes, not many sheep either, very funny.’
