A WOMAN and a man have been found guilty of murdering a 65-year-old in his Colwyn Bay home last November.
David Mark Wilcox died after being stabbed twice and assaulted in the early hours of November 20, 2023.
At Mold Crown Court today (August 8), Lauren Harris, 29, of no fixed abode but from the Colwyn Bay area, and David Webster, 43, of Lacey Street, Widnes, were convicted by a 10-person jury of his murder.
Their co-defendant – Thomas Whiteley, 33, of Clos Emlyn, Old Colwyn – was found not guilty.
Verdicts were returned unanimously at approximately 11.55am today after roughly three-and-a-half hours’ deliberation by the jury.
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Harris gave no reaction to the verdicts, while Webster shook his head and Whiteley sighed heavily and appeared tearful.
As he was taken out of the dock, Webster called Harris a "f***ing crazy b****" and a "f***ing a*******", to which Harris replied: "Shut up, you."
They will be sentenced by Mr Justice Edward Pepperall on August 12 at 11am at Mold Crown Court, and remain remanded in custody until then.
Mr Justice Pepperall formally discharged Whiteley, telling him he leaves court "without any blot upon your character".
"Thank you," Whiteley replied.
To Webster and Harris, Mr Justice Pepperall said: "You've both been found guilty by this jury of the brutal murder of Mark Wilcox.
"There is only one sentence by law that I can pass, and that will be a sentence in each of your cases of life imprisonment."
Mr Justice Pepperall also thanked the jurors for their "extraordinary service" in the trial.
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During their trial, which started on June 11, the jury heard that Harris, 29, of no fixed abode but from the Colwyn Bay area, began a relationship with Mr Wilcox after they first met outside the Black Cloak pub in May/June 2023.
But Harris “took advantage” of Mr Wilcox in the following months, moving in to his home on Bay View Road and draining his bank account of thousands of pounds.
Mr Wilcox, commonly known as Mark, had not long retired when he died, having had a successful career in IT.
Harris first met Webster, 43, of Lacey Street, Widnes, on November 14 when he supplied her with crack cocaine outside Mr Wilcox’s home.
“Affectionate” messages were shared between Webster and Harris in the following days, and on November 19, they came across Whiteley, 33, of Clos Emlyn, Old Colwyn, when he was acquiring drugs for himself in Colwyn Bay.
That evening, Harris, Webster and Whiteley had been at another flat in Colwyn Bay together before she invited them to Mr Wilcox’s home, where all of three of them drank vodka and took drugs.
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Though the initial atmosphere was calm, the jury heard an argument ensued in the early hours of November 20, leading to the stabbings and assaults upon Mr Wilcox.
The prosecution alleged that Webster and Whiteley, also used unlawful violence against Mr Wilcox, who suffered a blunt force head injury, likely from the use of a vodka bottle which was found afterwards to be stained with blood.
After the attack, Harris took Mr Wilcox’s car keys, and once her co-defendants joined her in his Volvo at about 2.10am, she drove off – but Harris, who cannot drive, crashed the vehicle on an A55 slip road moments later.
Mr Wilcox was pronounced dead at 5.17am, having been found by police unconscious in his living room.
All three defendants denied murdering him – Harris did not give evidence at the trial, but told police upon her arrest she did “f*** all” and that Whiteley and Webster were responsible.
Harris also denied stabbing Mr Wilcox, despite a CCTV camera which picked up audio capturing her telling Webster after the crash: “I stabbed him twice.”
She was interviewed seven times by police between her arrest on the evening of November 20 and her being charged with murder on November 24.
Webster and Whiteley both told the jury Harris stabbed Mr Wilcox twice, and held each other responsible for the unlawful violence used against him.
They were arrested during the morning of November 20, but were not charged with murder until January 18.
Born in Ebbw Vale, Mr Wilcox is survived by his mother, two sisters, four sons, nine grandchildren, and his extended family.
He was described following his death as "such a kind and wonderful person, who always cared for the people he loved".
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