Christopher Wright, a farmer, has been sentenced for the murder of Richard Dyson, whose body was discovered in a concrete-filled barrel nearly six years after his disappearance in 2019. Dyson had been living in his car and assisting Wright with various jobs on his farm in Hoyland, near Barnsley.
The court heard that Wright, described as a "weapons fanatic" and a collector, possessed numerous vintage firearms. Dyson's ex-partner testified that Dyson had found a machine gun at Wright's farm and kept it, believing it was valuable. Prosecutors stated that Wright became enraged upon discovering the theft and fatally shot Dyson with a shotgun.
Dyson's last phone call was made on November 17, 2019, after which he was reported missing. Both Wright and his childhood friend, Schwalbe, denied any knowledge of Dyson's whereabouts during initial police interviews.
In July 2025, a review of mobile phone data revealed that Wright had contacted a neighboring farmer, Ian Ollerenshaw, three days after Dyson's disappearance. Wright had asked to store a livestock trailer on Ollerenshaw's land, citing a need to "tidy up" his own farm. Ollerenshaw noted this request in his diary and recalled the trailer being towed by a vintage tractor, though he did not inspect its contents.
Dyson's body was later found inside the padlocked trailer on Ollerenshaw's land, alongside Wright's identification. Schwalbe was convicted of assisting Wright in hiding the body.