A farmer who shot his lodger before dismembering his body and concealing his remains in a concrete-filled barrel has been jailed for 35 years. Christopher Wright, 73, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court after being found guilty of the murder of Richard Dyson, 55, who disappeared in November 2019. Dyson’s remains were not discovered until 2025, almost six years after he vanished, inside a padlocked livestock trailer on a farm near Barnsley.
Murder sparked by stolen firearm
The court heard Wright killed Dyson after becoming enraged when he discovered his lodger had attempted to steal one of his guns. Prosecutors said Wright, described as a “weapons fanatic” and collector of vintage firearms, shot Dyson with a shotgun before embarking on an elaborate cover-up. Wright, a former butcher, then dismembered Dyson’s body before placing his remains inside a barrel, which he filled with concrete to conceal the crime. 
Friend helped cover up murder
Jurors heard Wright enlisted the help of his childhood friend, Karl Schwalbe, 72, to dispose of the body and hide evidence. Last month, Wright was convicted of:
- Murder
- Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice
- Preventing a lawful burial
- Six firearms offences
Schwalbe was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and sentenced to three years in prison.
Six-year mystery solved
Richard Dyson had been living in his car outside Wright’s cottage on Sheffield Road, Hoyland, carrying out odd jobs including repairing tractors, cutting hedges and driving Wright to appointments. He was last heard from on 17 November 2019 and was reported missing shortly afterwards. Although both Wright and Schwalbe were interviewed by police in the months following his disappearance, they denied knowing what had happened. The breakthrough came in July 2025, when detectives reviewing historic mobile phone data discovered Wright had contacted a neighbouring farmer just days after Dyson vanished.
Barrel discovered in hidden trailer
Farmer Ian Ollerenshaw told the court Wright had asked to store a livestock trailer on his land while he was “tidying up” his own farm. The trailer remained untouched until police later searched it and discovered a concrete-filled barrel containing Dyson’s remains, alongside Wright’s identification.
Daughter’s heartbreak
In a moving victim impact statement, Dyson’s daughter Bethany Dainty described the years spent searching for her father as a “living nightmare”. She told the court:
“Someone watched me suffering for years and said nothing. That level of cruelty is impossible for me to understand.”
Ms Dainty had repeatedly appealed for information during the six years her father was missing, unaware that his body had been hidden only a short distance away. Sentencing Wright, the judge condemned the calculated nature of the killing and the prolonged efforts to conceal the crime, describing the case as one of exceptional brutality and deception.
