THE daughter of a man from Gwynedd killed by his son (and her stepbrother) told in court of the heartache that his death has caused her and her family.

Tony Thomas, 46, of Penrhyn Isaf, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, was found guilty last month of the manslaughter of his father, Dafydd, 65, on March 25, 2021.

At Caernarfon Crown Court yesterday (February 24), Thomas was handed an indefinite hospital order and a restriction order.

During a two-week trial in January, the court had heard that Thomas, who had an approximate 25-year history of mental illness, was suffering from schizoaffective disorder at the time of his father’s death.

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At his sentencing yesterday, a victim statement was read out in person by Dafydd Thomas’ daughter (and the defendant’s stepsister), Elin.

Her father, she said, was the man who taught her to swim, ride a bike, and change a tyre.

She said: “Dad loved life. He was happy, kind, determined, generous and fearless. He was an amazing person, and lived life to the fullest.

“Mum has lost her husband, company and purpose. His chair sits empty, his mug remains unused. I can’t describe the loss we all feel.”

Knowing that her stepbrother will not be in her or her family’s vicinity, she said, gives her a “great sense of relief”.

She added that she has not yet told her son, eight months old at the time of the killing, the truth about his grandfather’s death, and drives past the scene each day.

She said: “All of those memories have been tarnished through the actions of Tony.

“I do not have the heart to tell my son what happened to his taid. He tells everyone that his taid is up at the stars, looking down on him.

“His life was cut too short. There was so much more that he should have had the chance to do. The sense of anger we, as a family, feel, is immeasurable.

“My father’s death is a waste, and something that should never have happened. He deserved better after a life of selflessness.

“Now, I have to remember him for longer than I knew him.”

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Elin also described her father as a man who loved travelling and extreme sports, having tried wing walking, paragliding and bungee jumping during his life.

He had not long retired after being a director of Gwynedd Environmental Waste Services Limited, and Elin said he was excited about turning more of his attention towards farming.

She said he “loved to travel, and made friends anywhere he went”, and also planned to travel in his campervan with his wife, Elizabeth, following his retirement.

At last month’s trial, the court had heard the relationship between Thomas and his father had been deteriorating for some time prior to his death.

He had been in dispute with his father, who lived roughly 500 yards away from him, regarding the ownership of his home and the keeping of pigs.

After stopping his father while he was about to return home in his pickup truck, Thomas admitted stamping on him once but denied punching him at all.

But he held his stepmother, Elizabeth, responsible for his death, alleging that she kicked him to the head after he had left the scene and made his way home.

A provisional cause of death was given as inhalation of blood due to severe blunt trauma facial injuries, and Thomas was arrested at roughly 3.30pm that day.

Thomas, who has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, can only be discharged from hospital if the Secretary of State for Justice agrees.

Dr Andrew Shepherd, a forensic psychologist, said he believed Thomas would require “a significant period of time in hospital”.

Judge Rhys Rowlands described Thomas’ attack on a “thoroughly decent and much-loved family man” as “sustained”, “brutal”, “inexplicable” and “entirely irrational”.