Man accused of murdering dog walker ‘living off-grid to avoid prison recall'

Telegraph

29-05-2025

A man accused of murdering a dog-walker was living off-grid to avoid being recalled to prison, a court has heard.
Roy Barclay, 56, subjected Anita Rose to a 'vicious and brutal attack' Christopher Paxton KC, prosecuting, told the trial
Opening the case on Thursday, he said Ms Rose, a 57-year-old mother-of-six, left her home in Brantham, Suffolk, to walk her dog, Bruce, on July 24 last year.
He said: 'After she left home and before 6.25am, Anita Rose was subject to a vicious and brutal attack. with numerous kicks, stamps and blows being delivered to her face, head and body.
'Found by passers-by, help was called for but on July 28 Anita Rose died in Addenbrooke's Hospital from the injuries she received.'
Mr Paxton told Ipswich Crown Court that 'no eyewitnesses saw the incident'.
He added: 'You will hear that Roy Barclay had no fixed address and lived mostly in the countryside, wandering the fields and lanes, sleeping in various makeshift camps.
'He lived off-grid because for two years, Roy Barclay had been unlawfully at large. He had been on the run trying to avoid the police and authorities to try and avoid being recalled back to prison.'
The court heard a pink jacket, worn by Ms Rose on the day she was attacked, was found at one of Barclay's makeshift camps.
He said Barclay kept the jacket 'as a trophy' and it had his semen on the neckline.
Mr Paxton said Barclay's walking boots, which 'amounted to the murder weapon', were found at the same camp. He also said there was 'support for the conclusion that the marks on Anita's face were made by these boots'.
He said Ms Rose's phone case was also found there, and her Samsung earbuds were located at a different makeshift camp Barclay had used.
The barrister said Barclay 'carries dog biscuits with him and is a dog lover'. He said he tied the dog lead around Ms Rose's leg 'to stop Bruce, the dog, running off'.
He said Barclay made various internet searches after the attack, including 'how are outside objects swabbed for DNA' and 'can barbed wire be swabbed for DNA'.
Ms Rose's body was found near a barbed wire fence by the Brantham sewage works by Jerome Tassel, who had been cycling to Manningtree train station early in the morning.
Mr Paxton described Barclay as 'cunning and resourceful'. The sewage works had washing facilities and a toilet for those who worked there, which was why the location was of 'particular significance' to him.
He said Richard Jones, Ms Rose's 'long-term partner', was a lorry driver who worked away during the week.
The couple 'would speak frequently', and the last time that Mr Jones spoke to his partner was in a phone call made to her at 5.24am on July 24 lasting three minutes and 42 seconds.
The 'force used and generated' in the attack resulted in the type of brain injuries 'often seen in high-speed car accidents', Mr Paxton added.
Barclay, of no fixed address, denies murdering Ms Rose who died from traumatic head injuries.
The trial is set to last eight weeks.