SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom — A British farmer was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the murder of his lodger, Richard Dyson, concluding a six-year investigation into Dyson's disappearance and death.
Christopher Wright, 73, must serve a minimum of 33 years and 353 days before he can be considered for parole.
Dyson was last heard from on Nov. 17, 2019, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. His phone made its final call that day, triggering a missing person inquiry. Dyson had been living in vehicles on Wright's property for several years before his death.
Wright, a former butcher, shot Dyson in November 2019, then dismembered the body and concealed the remains in a concrete-filled barrel. The discovery of the barrel six years later led to the murder investigation.
The judge cited Wright's professional background at sentencing. "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," the judge said.
Dyson's daughter, Bethany Dainty, described years of not knowing her father's fate. "I couldn't grieve because I did not know the truth," Dainty said in her victim impact statement.
Detectives recorded Wright and Paul Schwalbe, who assisted in the cover-up, discussing CCTV footage in a police car park after an interview — evidence that illuminated their efforts to evade detection.
During a police search of his property, Wright was filmed at a hotel praying for divine absolution and for his weapons to remain undiscovered, footage that pointed to his awareness of guilt and efforts to hide incriminating items.
Schwalbe was also implicated in concealing the crime. His lawyer, Christopher Dunn, described his client's failure to inform police as "an error of Biblical proportions."
Dyson's niece, Paula Loache, attended court proceedings. Detective Constable Fiona Bowling led the investigation.
