Roy Barclay, 56, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years at Ipswich Crown Court today for the murder of Anita Rose in Brantham.
The attack: Anita Rose left her house at 05:00 on 24 July 2024 to walk her springer spaniel Bruce when she was brutally assaulted. She was found critically injured at 06:25 by a member of the public, lying across a footpath outside sewage works off Rectory Lane. She was wearing only her bra on her top half, with her pink jacket, iPhone, and door key missing. Bruce was unharmed, and his lead had been wrapped around her leg.
The injuries: Anita died four days later at Addenbrooke's Hospital without regaining consciousness. A post-mortem examination revealed she had sustained a traumatic brain injury from injuries to her upper chest, neck, face and scalp. The court heard the level of force was consistent with "a prolonged assault of stamping to the head, akin to the injuries seen following a fatal road traffic collision."
The investigation: Police reviewed more than 700 hours of CCTV footage and spoke to approximately 3,000 people in Brantham. CCTV showed an unidentified man walking in the same direction as Anita on the morning of the attack - first captured at 05:33 and again at 05:37, wearing a distinctive blue two-tone sweatshirt.
The breakthrough: On 15 October 2024, Detective Constable Barry Simpson spotted a man resembling the CCTV figure walking along the A137 near Brantham. When stopped, the man gave the false name "John Lesley" and denied being the person in the footage. He was later identified as Roy Barclay, who was wanted on recall to prison for breaching licence conditions.
The evidence: After Barclay's arrest on 21 October, police discovered two rough sleeping sites. Under the Orwell Bridge, they found Anita's Samsung earbuds containing DNA from both victim and attacker. At a concealed camp near Brantham, officers recovered Anita's pink jacket, distinctive phone case, door key, and Barclay's walking boots - which matched marks on her face.
Digital trail: Barclay's phone revealed he had "diarised the weeks that had passed since his attack on Anita" and closely followed the case online, searching for information about DNA detection, murder trial durations, and the investigating officers.
Previous conviction: The court heard Barclay had been convicted in 2015 of grievous bodily harm with intent in Essex, involving an elderly dog walker in strikingly similar circumstances. The victim sustained multiple facial fractures and his dog's lead was wrapped around his leg following the unprovoked attack.
What they're saying: Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick said: "Anita Rose was subjected to the most shocking and violent attack on the outskirts of her village whilst she was alone and vulnerable on her early morning dog walk. Roy Barclay was a deceitful and violent man who lived off grid in solitude."
The judge described Barclay as "unpredictable, disheartening and a dangerous man" when passing sentence.
What's next: A voluntary partnership review is underway under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements involving police and probation services to examine information sharing processes regarding Barclay, who was wanted on recall when he committed the murder.
