Kelly Hyde Killer Sentenced To 12 Years

A teenager, who has been found guilty of the brutal murder of a 24-year-old hairdresser, has been sentenced to a minimum of 12 years.

Adrian Vivian Jones, 17, had beaten Kelly Hyde to death with a barbell, as she was walking her dog along a bridle path near her home in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire last September.

Mr Justice Nigel Davis told Jones he would serve a minimum of 12 years in custody before he would be eligible for parole - including the time he has already spent in detention.

Passing sentence, at Swansea Crown Court today, the Judge told Jones: "Quite why you killed Kelly Hyde is known only to you.

"What one can say is that the person who killed an attractive young woman, innocently walking her dog along a river, for no reason at all, there is no motive either of sex or robbery, must be considered a dangerous person."

He added: "This was a very sustained attack on a defenceless young woman. It was a savage case of beating a woman to death."

During the trial, which lasted three weeks, the jury heard how Jones assaulted Ms Hyde with a barbell, in a motiveless attack, before dragging her body and dumping it in a stream.

Miss Hyde had disappeared on 27 September 2007 after dropping her car off at a garage for its MOT. She had taken her pet whippet, Scrappy for a walk.

Her disappearance resulted in a major missing persons hunt, involving police officers and mountain rescue teams. Her body was found three days later at a remote stretch of land in Pantyffynnon.

Outside court, Detective Superintendent Simon Powell, of Dyfed-Powys Police, told reporters: "I fully accept the sentence handed down this morning by the judge.

"Adrian Jones himself to be an extremely dangerous and violent young person."

He added: "Whilst this sentence will bring little comfort to Kelly's family and friends, it will bring some closure to this sad episode in their lives."

(JM/CD)