Man guilty of murdering fiancee before partially wrapping body in clingfilm

A man has been found guilty of murdering his fiancee at their home before ordering a takeaway pizza, police have said.

Madog Rowlands, 23, strangled 21-year-old Lauren Griffiths before partially wrapping her body in clingfilm and getting takeaways and drugs delivered to the flat in Cardiff

On Thursday, South Wales Police said Williams was found guilty of murder by a unanimous decision following a trial at Newport Crown Court.

He had waited more than 24 hours to alert emergency services after killing Ms Griffiths at their flat in Glynrhondda Street, Cathays, in the early hours of April 29 last year.

Between the time of the killing and dialling 999, Rowlands withdrew cash from both their bank accounts, bought and consumed cannabis and MDMA, ordered takeaways, and tried to set up a Netflix account.

Rowlands, originally from Wrexham, had denied murder and claimed in court that he had killed Ms Griffiths in self-defence.

He will be sentenced at Newport Crown Court on January 8.

Detective Inspector Stuart Wales, from South Wales Police major crime investigation team, said: “Lauren was a much-loved daughter and sister who had a bright and promising future.

“Her family have shown tremendous patience and dignity during this long and heartbreaking ordeal. We hope they can now begin to recover and rebuild their lives.

“Having murdered Lauren during the early hours of Monday April 29, Madog Rowlands then waited more than 24 hours before calling 999, showing complete disregard to any chances she might have of surviving.

“In this time, Rowlands took money from Lauren’s account, went shopping, bought and consumed a large quantity of drugs, ordered pizza, and set up a Netflix account, before eventually – perhaps realising the inevitability of the situation – calling 999.

“At no time, did he show any meaningful concern for Lauren’s welfare or dignity.

“We would like to thank all the witnesses who assisted the investigation, the community of Cathays, as well as the prosecution team.”