Man guilty of murdering woman walking dog

Anita Rose was a mother and grandmother who was very active and loved walking her dog

A wanted man who was on the run for two years has been found guilty of murdering a woman who was walking her dog last summer.

Anita Rose, 57, was found with serious injuries, akin to those seen in high-speed motor accidents, on a footpath in Brantham, Suffolk, at 06:25 BST on Wednesday, 24 July.

Ms Rose, whose dog Bruce had his lead wrapped around her leg when they were discovered, died at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, four days later.

Roy Barclay, 56, of no fixed address, denied killing her, but a jury at Ipswich Crown Court delivered its unanimous verdict after deliberating for about two and a half hours. He is due to be sentenced on 6 August.

Roy Barclay, or no fixed address, had been living in a makeshift camp, the trial heard

Ms Rose, who left her house at about 05:00, was found less than two hours later on a track off Rectory Lane next to the London-Ipswich railway line, which overlooks the River Stour estuary.

Addressing Barclay, Judge Martyn Levett said: "You need to prepare yourself for a life sentence for the unnecessary killing of Anita Rose.

"It will be a lengthy sentence, and you need to prepare yourself for that."

Barclay was emotionless as the verdict was returned, but Ms Rose's partner of 13 years, Richard Jones, broke down in tears when he left the courtroom.

Mr Jones previously told the court how the last time he spoke to her was on the morning of her murder.

The lorry driver's final conversation with her ended with her saying: "OK babe, drive safe, I love you."

The trial heard he had been living in a makeshift camp in the area while "on the run" from police for two years.

On the day she was discovered, Ms Rose had been subjected to "numerous kicks, stamps and blows" to her face, head and body, according to prosecutors.

Barclay's DNA had been discovered on her jacket and on the earbuds of her headphones.

Prosecutors argued he also kept some of Ms Rose's belongings as trophies.

Barclay had been seen on CCTV in the Brantham area on the morning of the attack, something he accepted.

Ms Rose was found with serious injuries on a track road in her home village on the Essex/Suffolk border

However, his defence questioned whether his presence was of "real significance" when it was in the area where he kept his clothing and possessions and somewhere that he visited regularly.

They similarly questioned why he would have kept her possessions after he had viewed Suffolk Police's social media pages and saw they were interested in finding her missing jacket and phone which were later recovered.

At the time of the attack, Barclay had been wanted on recall to prison having breached the conditions of his licence.

He had previously been jailed for attacking an 82-year-old man in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex 10 years ago.

Ms Rose's daughter Jessica (middle) gave a statement outside court alongside other family members and Det Supt Mike Brown

Ms Rose's daughter, Jessica, spoke with court reporters following the verdict.

She described her mother as a "strong, brave, vibrant woman" who enjoyed living in Brantham and felt safe there.

"We will not forget the wonderful woman she was and the light that she brought to everybody's life," she said.

"She was a wonderful grandmother and mother, and she brought love and happiness to all the people she touched. She was incredibly brave.

"I am so incredibly proud of the woman that she was and the legacy that she has left and it will remain in her children and grandchildren.

"It is incredibly sad that she will not get to live the life that she should and that she was taken from us so horrifically."

Ms Cox thanked the police, jury and the Brantham community that had supported them and said "an evil, that should have been locked away, has been able to hide in plain sight".

"It is hard to put into words how dramatic and horrific this past year has been," she added.

Ms Rose died from traumatic head injuries after being attacked while walking her dog

Det Supt Mike Brown of Suffolk Police said a "violent man" had been brought to justice.

"This was a brutal attack on a lone woman on the outskirts of a peaceful village," he said.

"We may never fully understand the motive behind it and our thoughts remain firmly with Anita's family."

Nicola Pope, of the Crown Prosecution Service, described the attack on Ms Rose as "savage" and "an act of terrifying senselessness".

"As we combed through the evidence collected by police it became apparent that at almost every turn Barclay made it his mission to deceive the investigation," she said.

"He thought he was too cunning to be caught, but today's verdict proves otherwise."

She added she hoped the verdict provided "some measure of solace" to Ms Rose's friends and family.