‘Weapons fanatic’ farmer who shot lodger & chopped up his body before stashing it in concrete-filled barrel is jailed

A WEAPONS fanatic who killed his lodger and chopped up his body before stashing it in a concrete-filled barrel has been jailed for life. Richard Dyson, 55, vanished in 2019 and his “neatly severed” remains weren’t discovered until six years later. Richard Dyson’s body was found in a barrel hid in a trailer at a farm Credit: SWNS Christopher Wright killed his lodger after he stole a gun Credit: SWNS He had been living in his car outside of Christopher Wright’s cottage and acted as a handyman, cutting hedges and fixing tractors, for several years. The 73-year-old farmer shot Richard when he tried to steal his gun in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, a court heard. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The “weapons fanatic” then recruited childhood friend Karl Schwalbe to help him get rid of Richard’s body. Wright has been jailed for life with a minimum of 33 years for the murder. Schwalbe, 72, was jailed for three years for perverting the course of justice. Wright was also found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the justice, preventing a lawful burial and six firearms offences. Sheffield Crown Court heard Wright collected vintage firearms. Richard Dyson had been living in his car outside of Wright’s cottage and acted as a handyman, cutting hedges and fixing tractors, for several years Credit: SWNS Weapons found at Wright’s Parkside Cottage Credit: SWNS The ‘weapons fanatic’ then recruited childhood friend Karl Schwalbe to help him get rid of Richard’s body Credit: SWNS Sheffield Crown Court heard Wright collected vintage weapons Credit: SWNS In the months before Richard vanished in November 2019, he found a machine gun and kept it, the court heard. Wright, who previously worked as a butcher, was fuming when he discovered the theft and killed his lodger with a “shotgun immediately to hand”. Most read in The Sun He then called a fellow farmer three days later, asking to store a livestock trailer there. Farmer Ian Ollerenshaw said he didn’t look inside the locked trailer – which contained the concrete-filled barrel and Richard’s ID. The last call from Richard’s phone was made on November 17, with his daughter reporting him missing. Both Wright and his long-term friend Schwalbe were quizzed by cops in the months after his disappearance but denied any knowledge of what had happened. In July 2025, a fresh review of mobile evidence uncovered that Wright had phoned the owner of nearby Alderthwaite Farm three days after Dyson was last known to be alive. A written diary entry kept by the farm’s owner confirmed Wright had asked to leave a trailer at the farm for a few days. He never returned to collect it. Cops searched the farm and discovered a blue plastic barrel filled with concrete hiding human remains. Forensic experts were able to confirm the DNA was Richard’s. A written diary entry kept by the farm’s owner confirmed Wright had asked to leave a trailer at the farm for a few days Credit: SWNS A name badge found in the trailer alongside the barrel Credit: SWNS Cops found a stash of weapons when they raided Wright’s cottage Credit: SWNS The prosecution were also able to charge Wright with multiple firearms offences Credit: SWNS The prosecution were also able to charge Wright with multiple firearms offences, as it was discovered his licence to own them had been revoked in 2016. Jamie Barton, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “For six years, Richard Dyson’s loved ones were left without any answers about what had happened to him. “Despite Christopher Wright’s persistent attempts to thwart police investigations and cover up his crimes, we were able to work with South Yorkshire Police to gather evidence and present it in court to expose his guilt. “Wright brutally murdered Richard Dyson, and then enlisted his lifelong friend to help cover his tracks. Schwalbe may not have pulled the trigger, but his lies and actions were part of a deliberate attempt to stop justice ever being delivered. “This was a complex case, which relied on a combination of phone records, CCTV, forensic science, firearms evidence and covert recordings to prove to the jury what Wright and Schwalbe had tried so hard to conceal. “The CPS worked closely with police to bring that evidence together and show the jury how events before and after Mr Dyson’s disappearance fitted together. “I am pleased that both men have finally been held accountable for their roles in Richard Dyson’s death and the years-long cover-up that followed.” Bethany Dainty, Dyson’s daughter, said her life had become a “living nightmare”. She said: “Someone watched me suffering for years and said nothing. That level of cruelty is impossible for me to understand.”