A killer randomly walked into a stranger's home before beating her to death and decapitating her.
Luke Deeley, 26, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of June Fox-Roberts, 65, who was found dead at her home on November 21, 2021. Police officers attended the property following calls by a concerned family member.
Deeley was charged with murder, however his not guilty plea was accepted by the Crown at an earlier hearing. Instead, he admitted to an alternative count of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, Wales Online reports.
Read more: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
John Hipkin KC said Deeley had been sectioned under Section 45 of the Mental Health Act and was remanded in a psychiatric hospital. He said three psychiatric reports were prepared and were of the same opinion - that Deeley was suffering an "abnormality of mind" named paranoid Schizophrenia.
It was also agreed that Deeley's ability to understand the nature of his actions and form rational judgement was "substantially impaired" due to his condition. During Friday's sentence hearing, Mr Hipkin said the victim had lived in her home in Llantwit Fardre, Wales, for 40 years and worked as an IT trainer.
"Despite having several medical problems she was known to those who knew her as a caring, motherly figure and strongly independent," said Mr Hipkin. He added: “There is no evidence to suggest she knew the defendant.”
Deeley was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in March 2019 "for just under a month for an acute psychotic episode". Mr Hipkin said: "Following that he was prescribed with anti-psychotic medication. In July 2021 his parents contacted community mental health team with concerns about his presentation, in particular his lack of sleep and constant pacing.
"As a result a home visit to the defendant took place with a consultant psychiatrist and social worker. He told the psychiatrist he weaned himself off medication. As a result, the psychiatrist gave him an emergency supply of anti-psychotic medication.”
In September 2021, Deeley attended university in Cardiff and moved into a shared house in Roath with other students who found his behaviour “challenging”. Mr Hipkin said: “Examples included the retention by him of other residents’ room keys, playing excessively loud music, and causing damage to the fire alarm system."
However, on November 11, 2021, there was an incident where he threw water over a female house resident while calling her a "b****" and a "c***". A complaint was lodged by other students to the letting agents, resulting in the defendant leaving the property without taking any of his personal belongings.
“When a subsequent search of that room by police took place a quantity of artwork drawn by the defendant, demonic in nature, were recovered,” the prosecutor added. After moving out, CCTV caught Deeley on numerous occasions.
On November 18, he was seen near the university campus in Treforest and was seen trying various doors at the student union.
CCTV caught killer entering victim's home
On November 19 and 20 he was seen in Church Village and Llantwit Fardre. On November 19, the court heard, Mrs Fox-Roberts dropped both of her daughters at Pontyclun railway station as they were going away for the weekend and she would be alone in the house. At around 1.45am on November 21 Deeley was seen on CCTV near St Anne’s Drive and was seen entering the home of Mrs Fox-Roberts.
Mr Hipkin said: “The defendant entered number 49 through an unlocked door. It’s likely Mrs Fox-Roberts was disturbed and went downstairs. It was here the violence began. She was assaulted whilst upright in the hallway and further assaulted whilst on the floor. Dr RIchard Jones in the pathologist’s post-mortem report noted blunt force injuries to the head of June Fox-Roberts that appeared to be sustained in life.
“These injuries include one blow to the forehead that must have rendered her unconscious. There were compression-type injuries to her trunk indicative of stamping, fractures to her left forearm sustained in life which represented defensive-type injuries.
“From the hallway of the premises the defendant dragged June Fox-Roberts into the dining room area of the property and placed her in a tarpaulin. He proceeded to decapitate and dismember her and placed her limbs into separated bags using an axe recovered at the scene to achieve this.” Deeley also brought a chainsaw into the property but did not use it while dismembering Mrs Fox-Roberts.
A number of items were later recovered from 49 St Anne’s Drive. These included a chainsaw, a Flash bottle, yellow Marigold gloves, blue and silver tarpaulin, a bag for life containing clothing for Deeley, an axe, and blood-stained tissue. Deeley left the premises and was later seen at 2.20pm at Creigau Tyres in Llantwit Fardre Industrial Estate. Around this time Mrs Fox-Roberts' daughter, Abigail Sheppard, and friend Pamela Lovatt became concerned for her having been unable to contact her. Mr Hipkin said: “They made the gruesome discovery of June Fox-Roberts’ body.”
CCTV footage was played to the court of Deeley talking and singing to himself while wrapped in a blanket. He spent the night sleeping in a trailer. He was arrested on November 23 and a video of his arrest was played to the court. Police discovered attempts had been made to clean the scene in the hallway. There was also evidence Deeley shaved at the property and dyed his hair before leaving. The court heard he was of previous good character.
'My life imploded on the day mum was killed'
During the hearing a number of victim personal statements were read out the court. The first was from June Fox-Roberts’ daughter, Ms Sheppard, who discovered her mother’s remains. She said her "life imploded" on the day her mother was killed. She said she lived with her mother following the breakdown of her marriage "and was putting the pieces of my life back together with mum in a place I felt protected".
Ms Sheppard added: “I last saw Mum on Friday 19th November when Mum dropped me off at Pontyclun train station as I was going to a friends in Gloucester for the weekend.... I joked with mum about not having a party and trashing the house and we agreed I'd message on the Sunday. I felt happy knowing Mum would have some time to herself and she was looking forward to pottering around at her own pace with Aggy dog for company. The house that had been the family home since 1985, her safe place, her haven, the place where some of my fondest memories occurred
“Nothing could have prepared me for what had happened and what I saw when I got home that Sunday. I close my eyes and see tarpaulin, my mothers nightdress, her leg cut at her thigh. These images will never leave me. My childhood home, my safe space, destroyed in the most violent act I have ever seen or could ever imagine."
Ms Sheppard also detailed the ongoing trauma she continues to experience. She said: "I've undergone several courses of counselling to deal with the initial PTSD and have no doubt I will need further treatment. My anxiety and depression have been exacerbated and some days I struggle to get out of bed.
"Looking for a new home and I am worried about entry points to the house, neighbours' gardens, surrounding streets and areas - not the usual buyer concerns like how pretty the kitchen is. I am terrified that something will happen to me and take me away from my daughter. I never want my daughter to have to endure what I have been through.
"I was a mummy's girl, she was my rock. We were so alike, and I catch myself saying things she used to say or using her mannerisms. I will never hear her laugh again, she laughed so much and it was infectious. There were so many things that I wish she had told me before she was taken away so violently and thoughtlessly. Mum had a difficult life and did not deserve this.
"Mum was preparing to retire, spend time with her grandchildren and her great grand daughter that she never got to meet. She had big dreams of things she wanted to do in her retirement. Mum had started writing a book, she wanted to share her journey and the bumps she had along the way - all these stories that I will never hear.
"My life will never be the same. My daughter's life will never be the same. We have been left with this gaping hole in our hearts. We have been victims of the most horrendous, violent crime. What may have been meaningless to Luke has devastated our family and left my heart shattered into pieces."
'Like a twisted horror movie'
In a statement read out to the court, June Fox-Roberts’ other daughter, Trisha Fox, said she was in Cornwall when she was told about her mother’s death. She said: “I was told my mother had been [killed] and dismembered. My life was turned upside-down and destroyed.”
Ms Fox said she was unable to continue with her education in college and was left homeless. She said her mother’s death left her feeling “violated” and her mental health had been enormously affected. The witness said: “My personality has changed and my way of life. I buried myself in work and pushed people away. It was like a work of fiction, a twisted horror movie.”
In mitigation David Elias KC said: “No words can properly describe what Luke Deeley did to June Fox-Roberts and the anguish he caused to her family and friends. We have heard statements and everyone will have been greatly moved by them.
“Luke Deeley’s parents have written a long, dignified, and well-thought-out letter on his behalf which encapsulates their feelings as his parents about what happened.” An extract from the letter read: “The case is disturbing, shocking, and tragic and our hearts go out to her family. We cannot begin to imagine the grief they go through. We wake up every day wishing the situation was different for them, that their mother was alive and well. We are in despair about what has happened.”
Mr Elias said Deeley was “now a different man” compared to the one who killed Mrs Fox-Roberts. He said his client was “incredibly ill” at the time of the killing, which was the only explanation for what happened. He also said the defendant had not put the family of Mrs Fox-Roberts through a trial and pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
Mr Justice Griffiths, sentencing at Newport Crown Court, made Deeley subject to a hospital order under section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983 meaning he will be detained at a high-security hospital. He was also made subject to special restrictions set out in section 41 of the act without limit of time. In his sentencing remarks Mr Justice Griffiths said: “There is a high risk you will commit further serious offences if you are not detained. Detention is necessary to protect the public from serious harm. It’s not possible to say how long that will be so.”
Mr Justice Griffiths in his sentencing remarks told the court: “The impact of [Mrs Fox-Roberts'] death and the manner of her dying, on her family and friends, has been set out in statements to the court.”
He described how Luke Deeley was believed to have donned a wolf outfit after seeing a full moon but no such outfit was recovered. The judge said: “You thought a higher power was telling you to kill someone. You found June Fox-Roberts’ door unlocked and went inside.
“As she was walking up in front of you you violently attacked her and while defending herself she sustained fractures to her left forearm. You inflicted blunt force injuries to her head. One of those knocked her out. When she was on the floor you appeared to trample on her and dragged her body into the dining room, put her on tarpaulin, and then cut her head off and limbs with an axe you brought in from the garden, put them into bags and [they were] later found in the house.”
Addressing the killer Mr Justice Griffiths said: “You only did these terrible things because of your mental illness. You have no previous convictions and there’s no evidence you had any rational motive for what you did.
“You thought you were receiving messages from what you described as a higher power and were acting on commands. You also had the delusional belief there was a group of individuals out to get you.”
Family statement after sentencing
Following the hearing a statement was released on behalf of the family of Mrs Fox-Roberts. The statement read: “On Sunday, November 21, 2021, our world imploded. June Fox-Roberts was taken from us in a horrific way by a complete stranger.
“June was a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and loved spending time with her extended family. She adored her children and grandchildren and, although she set high standards for us, she would do anything to support and encourage us. She spent many hours teaching her grandchildren various skills including baking, gardening, knitting, and crafts and telling them stories of the ‘good old days’ from her childhood. June was so excited to meet her great-granddaughter, born earlier that month, but sadly Luke snatched that chance from her.
“June was vibrant, extremely hardworking, determined, and very resilient after overcoming many challenges throughout her life. She had a varied career from running a chicken farm, helping disadvantaged children in schools, running a coffee shop, IT contractor, and landlady. June had friends around the world made from travelling through her work and was looking forward to retiring so she could spend more time with her friends and her family.
“She was never afraid of a challenge and lived life to the full every day. She had a wicked sense of humour and an infectious laugh. And June would always be quick to share her advice or experiences to help anyone around her. June was a traditional lady. She loved nature and to garden, horse riding when she was younger, baking, and her true loves were her German Shepherds. She had many over the years with her last faithful friend Aggy now being cared for by her daughters as June would want.
“June had a huge heart and would welcome anyone with open arms into her home – she was well-known for not letting you leave her home or garden without a cuppa or glass of wine and a good natter first. And she was generous. If anyone had a problem she would do anything in her power to help – which makes it so much harder to accept Luke could be so cruel to her for no reason. June was not afraid of death but she wanted to die peacefully with her family around her and Luke stole that right from her and all of us when he took her life years before her natural time.
“June had plans to build her dream bungalow to retire to in and planned a beautiful garden and allotment to escape to. Her children are continuing with June’s garden in her memory and have been fortunate to receive donations from friends and family to help build June’s dream through her GoFundMe.
“The family want to thank South Wales Police for their hard work in finding and apprehending Luke Deeley quickly. We are satisfied that this sentence is the best possible outcome for everyone.
“Once met June was never forgotten. She was a force of nature. June was our family, friend, rock and safe space and we will feel this loss for the rest of our lives.”
Read next:
- "If you're going to kill me, just do it quickly... I've had enough": The coward who 'absolutely wrecked' a woman's life
- Dad who left the Army and became a HGV driver found dead in back of lorry
- Iconic Manchester hotel featured in Peaky Blinders and loved by celebs set for huge expansion
- Will you be voting in the May local elections?
- 'It was chaotic': Police swarm scene as teenage boys rushed to hospital after being hit by tram
