Heir to £230 million pie fortune charged with murder of best friend
A man charged with murdering his best friend in Cardiff is the heir to a £230 million pie company fortune.
Dylan Thomas, 23, is accused of fatally stabbing William Bush, who was found dead in a car park next to Llandaff Cathedral on Christmas Eve.
Thomas is the grandson of Sir Stanley Thomas, a Welsh business tycoon whose empire included Peter’s Pies, described as one of the country’s “most iconic products”.
He appeared at Cardiff magistrates’ court on Dec 28 and is expected in the city’s Crown Court on Feb 2.
Thomas, a computer programmer, is reported to have been best friends with Mr Bush, 23, with the men both attending the same private school in Cardiff.
According to The Sun, the friends shared a terraced house owned by Thomas’ grandparents and Sir Gareth Edwards, the Welsh rugby legend.
It is understood that Mr Bush was a keen sportsman who worked as a surveyor with a commercial property firm.
In a statement released through South Wales Police following his death, his family said: “This week our beloved Will was taken away from us in such a cruel and indescribable way.
“Will was such a loyal, funny and caring son, brother and boyfriend. We are absolutely devastated and as a family request that our privacy is respected at this difficult time.”
Thomas’s great grandfather is Sir Stanley Thomas, who died aged 98 in 2015. He founded a catering venture, Thomas Pies, in the 1950s selling sausage rolls, pies and pasties.
His two sons, Stanley and Peter, later joined the business, which was sold for £175,000 in 1965 to the Avana Group.
Using the proceeds from the sale, the Thomas family started Peter’s Savoury Products, which was sold to Grand Metropolitan for £75 million in 1988.
The family ended its commercial interest in the business there. It subsequently changed hands several times and last year had a turnover of £57 million.
‘Vision for the meat pie industry’
The company was famed for supplying baked staples including pies, pasties, sausage rolls and slices into retail, catering and hospitality outlets across the UK.
In 1983, the founder of Thomas Pies, nicknamed Stan, was awarded an MBE for services to the food industry and charitable work.
At the time of his death, his son, Sir Stanley, who was knighted in 2006 for his charity work and services to business, told BBC Wales: “He was a man of great vision, very astute and terrifically hard-working.
“Hours meant nothing to him and that’s the way he brought myself, my brother and sister up. His vision for the meat pie industry was to automate it and he was the first.”
In 2013, Sir Stanley was reported to have an estimated net worth of £230 million with his brother Peter, according to The Sunday Times. His family also owned a share of the TBI group, which owned several airports, including Cardiff.
Peter Thomas died in March last year, aged 79, after being diagnosed with cancer in 2021.
Having played for Cardiff RFC in the 1960s, he invested in the club in 1994 and was chairman for more than two decades before stepping down in 2018. He was appointed CBE for services to business, sport and charitable work in Wales in 2012.
After his death, Cardiff Rugby said: “He began his long and unparalleled association with the Blue and Blacks when he was selected for Cardiff Youth in 1961, alongside the likes of Ian Robinson and Jim Mills.
“That was the beginning of an immense contribution to the club, spanning more than 60 years as a player, benefactor, patron, chairman, life president and supporter.
“An unrivalled Arms Park legend, Peter leaves an immeasurable legacy at his beloved club, which would not exist if not for his vast and unwavering generosity and support.”
