Fugitive killer kept victim’s belongings as ‘trophies’ after brutal murder of mother-of-six walking her dog

A dangerous fugitive who murdered a mother-of-six while she was walking her dog has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years. Roy Barclay, 56, had been on the run from police for two years when he attacked Anita Rose, 57, on a footpath in Brantham, Suffolk, on 24 July last year.

According to the BBC, Anita Rose died four days after she was found with serious injuries, a case that would likely captivate listeners of the best true crime podcasts on a track off Rectory Lane next to the London-Ipswich railway line. She had left her house at about 05:00 BST and was discovered less than two hours later by members of the public. The mother-of-six had suffered serious injuries after being kicked and stamped by Barclay and died four days later in Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

During the trial at Ipswich Crown Court, prosecutors argued that Barclay kept some of Anita Rose’s belongings as trophies following the attack. The killer’s DNA was discovered on Anita’s jacket and on the earbuds of her headphones, providing crucial evidence linking him to the crime.

Barclay was living in a makeshift camp while evading police

The court heard that Barclay had been living in a makeshift camp in the area while on the run from police for two years following an earlier attack. At the time of the murder, he had been wanted on recall to prison after breaching the conditions of his licence. He had previously been jailed for attacking an 82-year-old man in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex 10 years ago.

Barclay was finally caught after he was spotted in Brantham by an officer from Suffolk Police. When questioned, he initially gave a false name of John Lesley but provided his real telephone number, allowing police to determine his true identity. Several days later, he was arrested at Ipswich County Library and subsequently charged with Anita’s murder.

Judge Martyn Levett described Barclay as an “unpredictable, dangerous” man who was “prone to terrible outbursts of violence” during sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court. The judge highlighted how in the 2015 attack on a “helpless” 82-year-old, Barclay had beaten the pensioner for 53 seconds, causing severe injuries. Despite serving five years in prison before being released on parole, Barclay breached his licence conditions in 2022 and became a fugitive.

Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC outlined 11 aggravating factors in the case, including Barclay’s use of “sustained and excessive violence”, killing in public, and the stealing and taking of Anita’s property. The court heard emotional victim impact statements from Anita’s family, the kind of heart-wrenching testimonies that make the best true crime documentaries so compelling, who described her as the “centre” of their family and someone who enjoyed helping neighbors and vulnerable residents. Her partner Richard Jones described how the couple “planned to grow old together,” and he had been haunted by her death. Her son Ashley Rose told the court he had desperately tried to help the investigation by buying a drone to find some of his mother’s personal items that were missing and were later found in Barclay’s possession.