Parents and pupils in Llanishen are being warned to be vigilant
A child killer who left a sixth-former to drown on a Swansea beach has won an early shot at parole after a top judge praised his “exceptional” progress behind bars.
Joshua Declan Thomas, then just 15, was one of three youths who killed “slight” 17-year-old Ben Bellamy in September 2004.
He was convicted of murder at Swansea Crown Court and, in 2006, was ordered to serve at least 18 years behind bars.
But Mrs Justice Lang today heaped compliments on Thomas, now 26, for his “exemplary” efforts to reform himself in prison.
Although he had still failed to face up to the full horror of what he did, he had expressed “genuine remorse”, the judge said.
And handing him a 12-month sentence cut for good behaviour, she said he had “come a long way” since the killing.
Ben was dragged onto a beach and left to drown
Ben, from Sketty Park, Swansea, was walking home from a night out at Cinderella’s nightclub when he bumped into his killers.
He was later dragged onto a beach, viciously attacked by two of the youths, stripped naked and left to drown in about a metre of water.
The judge said Ben was “a slight young man who put up little resistance” but was beaten until “he was unable to walk or stand”.
She added: “The personal statements from members of his family describe the loss of a kind, thoughtful, young man with a bright future”.
The judge who jailed Thomas, formerly of Llewellyn Road, Penllergaer, described it as “determined, cold and violent killing”.
His killers hoped that his body would be taken out to sea and, if ever found, people would believe he had drowned accidentally.
The judge said Thomas should now be rewarded
But Mrs Justice Lang ruled that Thomas should be rewarded for his “consistently good” behaviour in jail.
He had attained qualifications in maths, IT, English, gym, first aid and customer service and had taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.
He was an active fundraiser for a range of charities and had done voluntary work “in order to give something back to society”.
He helped other prisoners with their literacy skills and had “an impressive employment record” behind bars.
His conduct behind bars was described as 'exemplary'
A trusted prisoner, he had been consistently praised by the authorities for his behaviour and achievements.
His overall conduct in jail was “exemplary” and he now represented a much lower risk to society, she added.
Thomas, who suffers from ADHD, accepted for the first time last year that Ben was stripped naked on the beach.
But he still insisted that the teenager was still alive when the killers left him and “he could not say how he ended up face down in the sea”.
The judge said: “He appears to be unwilling or unable to acknowledge the full facts of the index offence and his responsibility for it.
“This suggests a lack of insight, and consequent risks, which may require further work”.
But she nevertheless agreed to reduce Thomas’s tariff by one year, with the result that he can apply for parole in September 2022.
He will then be freed if the Parole Board accepts that the risk he poses to the public has passed.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/sixth-form-student-escapes-after-12502884
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