Man murdered neighbour by setting fire to his caravan while he was inside

Published date13 January 2023
Publication titleWalesOnline (Wales)
Darren Smith, 43, killed Richard Thomas at the Beeches caravan park in Magor, Monmouthshire, on December 20, 2021, after an argument between the two men resulted in the murderer assaulting his victim, leaving him with a head injury and broken ribs. He then poured petrol on and around the victim before setting the caravan alight and leaving Mr Thomas to die before walking back to his own caravan

The fire was discovered by the site owner's son Jason Pritchard who saw smoke coming from Mr Thomas' caravan and put the fire out with a hose. He then saw Mr Thomas lying on the floor and tried to pull him out, but the victim's skin degloved from his body. Emergency services were called to the caravan site and firefighters performed a "snatch recue" of Mr Thomas. His arms and legs were badly burnt and were beginning to "curl" , a sign of major tendon damage.

READ MORE: Get the latest court cases sent to your email inbox with our Crime & Punishment newsletter

Mr Thomas was doused in water as firefighters attempted to save his life and applied cooling gel packs. Two firefighters reported hearing the victim saying "stop hitting me" or "stop hurting me", but despite their best efforts Mr Thomas died as a result of his injuries.

In the meantime, Smith had run back to his own caravan and pretended he had just woken up when police went to speak to him. A firefighter noticed the defendant had black on his lips and nostrils, and Mr Pritchard told him he had seen him walking from Mr Thomas' caravan shortly before the fire was discovered. Smith responded by telling Mr Pritchard: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" and referring to Mr Thomas "If he dies he dies." Smith later sent a text message to a friend saying "I have done something stupid".

Smith was arrested and initially denied any involvement but later changed his story and said he had been drinking Guinness with Mr Thomas, who he nicknamed Shrew, in his caravan when an argument broke out. He claimed Mr Thomas had started the fire after pouring the petrol and starting the fire with a lighter.

But his account was dismissed by a jury following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court in November last year and he was found guilty of Mr Thomas' murder. A sentencing hearing at the same court on Friday heard a statement from the victim's brother Bryn Thomas read by junior prosecutor Dean Pulling.

It said: "All our lives have been out on hold since December 20, 2021, when news broke of Richard's horrific death in a...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT