Tony Thomas found guilty of killing dad in Gwynedd attack

Dafydd Thomas died yards from his home March 2021 after inhaling blood

A 45-year-old has been found guilty of killing his father after stamping on his face, causing him "catastrophic" injuries.

Dafydd Thomas, 65, died after being attacked by Tony Thomas in March 2021 in Minffordd, near Porthmadog, Gwynedd.

Mold Crown Court heard Thomas had a history of mental health issues and had not taken his medication for 18 months.

A jury at Mold Crown Court unanimously found him guilty of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Judge Rhys Rowlands ordered that the jury should not consider the charge of murder after the court heard about Thomas's medical background.

The judge described this case as "particularly tragic".

'Overwhelmed with anger'

During the trial, Thomas has told the court he was "overwhelmed with anger, like a fuse was blowing" in his head when he dragged his father from his car and attacked him on 25 March 2021.

He said he put his father on the ground, kicked him in the side and the head, and stamped on him.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Shepherd said he believes Tony Thomas had schizoaffective disorder when he attacked his father

The court previously heard Thomas killed his father as he believed he was working with a military unit to wipe out Covid-19 by experimenting on pigs.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Shepherd said Thomas also wanted to talk to UK government medical chief, Prof Chris Whitty, about this.

He said he believed Thomas, previously diagnosed as bipolar, had schizoaffective disorder when he attacked his father, and was suffering from psychosis.

The court heard Thomas lived in a farmhouse owned by his father, about 500 yards from his parents' home, but believed he had a claim to the farmhouse and the land around it.

Gordon Cole KC, prosecuting, told the court Dafydd Thomas has been planning on buying some pigs for his land, which could have been a "trigger" for his son.

After attacking Dafydd Thomas, the court heard Tony Thomas washed his blood-stained wellingtons

Thomas told the jury he was concerned about his father bringing in diseased pigs after he had spent years trying to eradicate disease from his own, adding his father "didn't care".

Thomas said after confronting his father about the pigs he "opened the pick-up door, put him down to the ground and kicked him in the torso and head and stamped on him once".

After the attack Mr Thomas' wife, Elizabeth Thomas, said she approached her husband's car, looking for him, and saw Thomas walking away.

She called the emergency services after she saw her husband lying on his back by his truck bleeding with facial injuries, but Mr Thomas died at the scene.

The judge told Thomas he had been convicted on "compelling evidence", adding it was a particularly "sad case"

He said Mr Thomas lost his life when he was newly retired and looking forward to a "long retirement after years of hard work building up his business", and this had been denied him, and his wife.

Further psychiatric assessments will be carried out before Thomas - who is in a secure mental health hospital - is sentenced on 24 February.