Christopher Wright, a 73-year-old farmer and former butcher, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of his lodger, Richard Dyson. Dyson, 55, vanished in November 2019. His remains were eventually located nearly six years later, encased in a concrete-filled barrel stored on a trailer at a farm near Barnsley.
During the trial at Sheffield Crown Court, prosecutors explained that Wright killed Dyson during a dispute over a stolen firearm. Following the act, Wright enlisted the aid of his longtime friend, 72-year-old Karl Schwalbe, to dispose of the body. Schwalbe received a three-year prison sentence for perverting the course of justice.
In addition to the murder conviction, Wright was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial, and six firearms offenses. Bethany Dainty, the victim’s daughter, described the ordeal as a constant nightmare. She had spent years publicly pleading for information regarding her father’s whereabouts, only to learn later that his killers had remained silent while watching her suffer.
