Anita Rose's terrifying final moments and sick 'trophy' killer took in dog walk murder

The tragic final moments of a 57-year-old grandmother have been revealed after she was brutally murdered while out for a walk in the countryside with her beloved springer spaniel.

Anita Rose set out for her regular morning walk on July 24, 2023, with her dog Bruce by her side. A mother of six and a gran, Anita was a familiar and friendly face in the village of Branthamand regularly walked Bruce down the rural footpaths in the Suffolk village.

But what began as a peaceful stroll ended in a shocking act of violence. Chilling CCTV footage captured Anita walking calmly, unaware that behind her trailed a figure - a man who would soon take her life in a brutal and senseless attack.

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That man was Roy Barclay, a 56-year-old drifter with a violent past and a disturbing obsession with the occult. At the time of the sick attack, Barclay had been on the run from police having previously been jailed 10 years for a committing grievous bodily harm with intent.

A jury at Ipswich Crown Court found Barclay guilty of Anita's murder, concluding a harrowing trial. Today, he has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.

Anita's route took her along a secluded path near the Ipswich to London railway line and close to a sewage works - a spot not far from a makeshift camp where Barclay had been secretly living off-grid.

Moments after CCTV captured him changing direction to follow her, Barclay launched a "vicious and brutal" assault, repeatedly punching, kicking and stamping on Anita.

Prosecutors believe she may have seen Barclay breaking into the sewage works and confronted him - a brief encounter that escalated into heinous violence.

She was discovered unconscious by passersby, barely clinging to life. Despite the efforts of medics, Anita died four days later from traumatic head injuries.

Barclay was no stranger to violence. In 2015, he had attacked 82-year-old Leslie Gunfield, punching him so severely over a dispute involving scavenged food that the pensioner required ten titanium plates in his skull.

During that attack, Barclay had tied the victim's dog lead to his foot - a detail eerily echoed years later when Anita was found with Bruce's lead wrapped around her leg.

After serving time for that attack, Barclay was released from prison in 2020 on licence - a form of parole requiring him to remain in contact with probation services.

But by 2022, he had vanished, breaching the conditions of his release. A recall notice was issued, but Barclay managed to avoid capture for two years, living in hidden campsites in Suffolk woodland and even beneath bridges.

The killer was once known for his strange ties to occult groups - including connections to the late David Farrant of British occult fame. After breaking ties with the occult scene, he became a homeless drifter, with reports describing him as mentally unwell and surviving on scavenged food.

After murdeering Anita, evil Barclay manipulated the scene in a bid to try and cover his tracks. He stole Anita's phone and her pink jacket as a trophy, before leaving her to die. He later read news reports detailing how police were searching for the items.

He then deliberately abandoned the phone in a public place, attempting to create a false trail and divert suspicion to someone else.

Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC told the court how Barclay had created a personal "treasure trove" of Anita's belongings in his hidden camp. His walking boots - caked in blood - were identified as the murder weapon.

Even after his arrest in Ipswich Library on October 21, Barclay denied the murder. But the jury took just two and a half hours to reach their guilty verdict.

Outside court following the jury's verdict, Anita's devastated family spoke of their pain and their determination to see real change. Her eldest daughter, Jessica, held back tears as she criticised systemic failures that allowed a dangerous man like Barclay to remain free.

"We need to make sure that our communities are safe and that people are monitored... Criminals cannot remain at large. There's too much at stake and our communities need protecting," she said.

And her daughter Jessica told Ipswich Crown Court at the sentencing today that Barclay had not shown any remorse. Fighting back tears as she read her victim impact statement, Ms Cox said: "He has put us through a nightmare which we can't wake up from.

"I don't feel he has shown any remorse. I believe he's cunning and I believe he's enjoyed what he's done and the trial itself. He hasn't had to face us, he hasn't had to face the consequences of what he's done or what he's done to us."