Farmer jailed for lodger's 'body in barrel' murder
Richard Dyson's body was not found until nearly six years after he disappeared in rural Hoyland.
Christopher Wright, a 73-year-old former butcher, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of his lodger, Richard Dyson, and the subsequent dismemberment of Dyson's body. Dyson went missing in November 2019, and his remains were discovered in a concrete-filled barrel hidden in a trailer on Wright's farm near Barnsley six years later.
Wright was convicted of murder and several firearms offences, while his childhood friend, Karl Schwalbe, received a three-year sentence for perverting the course of justice. Both men had previously denied any involvement in Dyson's disappearance and murder. Wright was described as a "weapons fanatic" and owner of a collection of vintage firearms, tractors, and musical instruments.
Dyson's daughter, Bethany Dainty, expressed her life-long anguish and described the six-year ordeal as a "living nightmare" during the sentencing hearing.
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