Teen guilty of dog walker murder

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Adrian Jones, 17, beat Kelly Hyde, 24 to death with a barbell in an attack that has been described as an 'explosion of anger'.

A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a young woman as she walked her dog along a bridle path.

Adrian Jones, 17, beat Kelly Hyde, 24, from Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, around the head with a barbell.

Jones did not know his victim and police said they still did not know his motive. He sobbed in the dock as the verdict was read out.

Swansea Crown Court was told a dog lead stained with Ms Hyde's blood was found in the attic where Jones lived.

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Jones had denied murder, saying he just found the lead and took it home.
As the jury returned a majority verdict, several members of Ms Hyde's family burst into tears.

Sentencing was adjourned until Friday but the judge allowed the defendant's identity to be revealed in public for the first time.
The three-week trial had heard Ms Hyde disappeared while walking her pet whippet, Scrappy, on 27 September 2007 after dropping her car off at a garage for its MOT.

Her body was found three days later after a search involving police officers and mountain rescue teams.

Her disappearance was said to be out of character.

Ms Hyde had a number of jobs including trainee hairdresser, barmaid, working at a riding stables and at Leekes department store in Cross Hands.

Adrian Jones repeatedly lied to police, the prosecution said

Jones, 16 at the time, was arrested within a week of her death and a search of his home found a dog lead belonging to her, which was stained with her blood.

Forensic tests also confirmed that her blood was on the teenager's training shoes and a barbell used to kill her, which matched one found at his home.

He told the jury he came across a dog lead used by Ms Hyde as he walked along the bridle path smoking cannabis on the day she disappeared.

He said he took the lead home without realising it was blood soaked.

At the point where he found the lead he noticed "about a cupful" of blood on the ground and thought a fox may have attacked another animal.

However the prosecution told the court Jones had repeatedly lied when questioned by police.