Llanelli stabbing: Killed businessman 'led triple life'

Police initially treated Gary Williams's death as murder

A businessman found stabbed to death in a house had been leading a triple life, an inquest heard.

The bodies of Gary Williams, 58, and Jessena Sheridan, 46, were found in a bedroom in Llanelli on 29 December.

The inquest heard married Mr Williams had been having an affair with Ms Sheridan for five years and another woman in the town for nearly 30 years.

The coroner ruled the cause of Mr Williams' death was multiple stab wounds from an act of manslaughter.

He gave a narrative verdict to explain Ms Sheridan's death.

Caravan salesman Mr Williams was last seen by his wife Elaine on 24 December, the inquest heard.

Coroner Paul Bennett was told Mr Williams had been looking after his two grandchildren at home in Gowerton, Swansea, and left in the afternoon saying he had to go to Yorkshire on business but would be back in the early hours in time for Christmas.

The bodies were discovered in a bedroom in Lakefield Place, Llanelli

The Dyfed-Powys Police investigation into Mr Williams's death found - unknown to Mrs Williams - he had been having an affair since 1991 with a woman in the Llanelli area - and had also been seeing Ms Sheridan since 2014.

Mr Williams was found dead at the home in Lakefield Place with multiple stab wounds to his neck, chest and stomach and defensive wounds on his wrists, while Ms Sheridan had what appeared to be self-inflicted wounds, the inquest heard.

The coroner said he found it to be a "particularly tragic and difficult case", because it had become evident that Mr Williams was "leading a triple and somewhat complicated life" and had been "able to separate these lives entirely".

He added the real tragedy was it would never be known what happened between Mr Williams and Ms Sheridan "other than some sort of altercation", and that he could not be sure beyond reasonable doubt Ms Sheridan had intended to kill Mr Williams.

Giving a narrative conclusion for Ms Sheridan's death, he said she died as a result of "sharp force injury to the left wrist and elbow, and multi-drug toxicity".

He added that she died "from the combined effects of self-inflicted wounds and drug toxicity which she intended to cause to herself, following an altercation that had taken place with her partner during which he had been fatally wounded".