Man guilty of murdering his partner at their Birchgrove home

A man has been found guilty of murdering his partner at their Birchgrove home last August.

Mum of two Victoria Thomas was strangled to death by her partner Alcwyn Thomas after he spent the day drinking heavily and taking cocaine, according to South Wales Police.

Victoria, 45, was found in a top-floor spare bedroom of a house they shared on Caerphilly Road in Birchgrove in Cardiff. The pair were unmarried but had been in a relationship for four years.

Thomas, 44, admitted manslaughter but maintained that Victoria’s death was a “sex act gone wrong” and that it was during “erotic asphyxiation”.

He denied murder but was found guilty of the charge following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court on March 26.

Thomas will be sentenced on April 24.

In a statement released last September, Victoria’s family said: “As a family we are devastated that our much-loved daughter, mother, sister, aunt, niece and friend has been taken away so tragically. Our family are broken, and we will miss her for ever. Please respect our privacy and our wishes to grieve at this devastating and difficult time.”

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Powell said: ““Her devastated family have shown tremendous patience and dignity during this heart-breaking ordeal. Our thoughts are with them today as they have been throughout.”

Police account of what happened

The following is the account of South Wales Police.

CCTV from the afternoon of Monday, August 19, 2024, showed the couple visiting a pub and then a bingo hall later on that day with members of the defendant’s family.

Thomas’ mood that evening was described as “argumentative and moody”. He had drunk a total of 16 pints of lager and had been using cocaine.

Further CCTV outside the bingo halls, captured Thomas taking cocaine and what appeared to be an argument between the couple before getting in a taxi.

The last sighting of Victoria alive was at 9.26pm when the couple returned home.

Just after 11pm, Thomas sent texts to his sisters saying “Sorry I done something so bad”.

Victoria’s body was found during the early hours of Tuesday, August 20, after Thomas’ niece, concerned by the texts, went to check on her welfare.

When police arrived, Thomas was asleep in the couple’s bedroom on the middle floor.

He replied “no comment” during police interview but later admitted intentionally strangling Victoria.