The three-bed house in Llantwit Fadre, near Pontypridd, had been June Fox-Roberts’ family home since 1985 but became a horrifying murder scene
Chilling images show inside a house of horrors where an axe killer dismembered a lone mum – as it goes up for sale for £325,000.
Luke Deeley, 26, bludgeoned mum-of-three June Fox-Roberts, 65, to death in her own living room. Armed with a chainsaw, he then decapitated her with an axe, chopped up her body, and stuffed her limbs in plastic bags.
The three-bed house in Llantwit Fadre, near Pontypridd, had been Mrs Fox-Roberts’ family home since 1985 but became “the murder scene of our nightmares”, according to her daughter Abigail. Killer Deeley was later diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic and was sentenced to a hospital order under the mental health act.
The estate agent for the house-sellers has not revealed its horrific history of the attack in November 2021. Instead the listing online says: “Offered with no onward chain. Three bedroom extended detached house located in a cul-de-sac position. The property is situated in the desirable area of Llantwit Fardre close to Church Village, Efail Isaf and Creigiau.
“Easily accessible to the M4 and A470 giving direct links to Cardiff, Bridgend and Swansea. Llantrisant Retail Park is also within close proximity. There are well regarded primary and secondary schools also close at hand.”
At Deeley’s sentencing, prosecutor John Hipkin KC told Newport Crown Court: “He entered number 49 through an unlocked door. It’s likely Mrs Fox-Roberts was disturbed and went downstairs encountering the defendant at the foot of the stairs. It was here the violence began.
“She was assaulted whilst upright in the hallway and further assaulted whilst on the floor. Dr Richard Jones in the pathologist’s post-mortem report noted blunt force injuries to the head of June Fox-Roberts that appeared to be sustained in life.
“These injuries include one blow to the forehead that must have rendered her unconscious. There were compression-type injuries to her trunk indicative of stamping, fractures to her left forearm sustained in life which represented defensive-type injuries.
“From the hallway of the premises the defendant dragged June Fox-Roberts into the dining room area of the property and placed her in a tarpaulin. He proceeded to decapitate and dismember her and placed her limbs into separated bags using an axe recovered at the scene to achieve this.
“He had also brought a chainsaw into the property from an outside shed. The forensic findings are that it was not used in the dismemberment process.”
Mrs Fox-Roberts, who had three children Trisha, Sebastian and Abigail, also owned buy-to-let properties. She was discovered by her neighbour and daughter when they became concerned they could not reach her. A safeguarding review later found there had been multiple failures in Deeley’s care and “missed opportunities” by mental health workers.
After killing Mrs Fox-Roberts, Deeley fled the scene and the aftermath of the horrific event was later found by one of her daughters. In a bid to change his appearance, Deeley then shaved and dyed his hair.
A post mortem found that IT consultant Mrs Fox-Roberts was still alive when she suffered blunt force injuries to her head On November 21, 2021. She showed evidence of injuries that indicated “stamping”, as well as the initial blow to the forehead had knocked her out.
Deeley was detained indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital under the Mental Health Act. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter by way of diminished responsibility in March 2023.
Deeley was arrested two days after June’s murder and claimed to police that he had been instructed to kill someone by a “higher power”. The court later heard that, at the time of June’s murder, Deeley was having a delusion that a group of people were “out to get him”.
After Deeley’s sentencing, June’s family released a statement saying their “world imploded” on the day of her death. Describing June as someone who “had a huge heart”, they said their family member had been taken from them “in a horrific way”.
