Victoria 'Vicki' Thomas was found on her son's bedroom floor at their Cardiff home, clad only in her bathrobe and underwear by her niece.

Her partner, Alcwyn Thomas, had left her lifeless and cold under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. Family members who had been with the couple at a pub just hours earlier described his strange behaviour, and Vicki sent a disturbing message before her death.

Vicki and Thomas, who shared the same surname but were not married, had been in a relationship for over four years. On August 19, 2024, they visited a local pub at 2.30pm before heading to Club 3000 bingo hall before 5pm to spend time with Thomas' family.

Thomas was reported to have consumed a lot of alcohol that night, taken cocaine, and was "argumentative and moody". After something his sister Laura Thomas said triggered him, he lost his temper and started yelling, leading his brother-in-law William Woodgates to ask him to calm down, according to WalesOnline.

Vicki was reportedly calm but tired of Thomas' behaviour and refused to buy him any more drinks. Between 8.15pm and 8.30pm, William noticed a shift in Thomas' behaviour, saying he kept asking him to repeat himself and seemed to be trying to "goad him" or "wind him up", reports the Mirror.

William also noted that Thomas laughed to himself, suggesting he had used cocaine when he went to the toilets.

Ffion Woodgates, Thomas' niece, recounted: "Alcwyn was not interacting with us much and was not himself. I spoke to him twice and he was looking right through me and argumentative. I knew there was something wrong with him as he usually makes jokes but on this occasion he was arguing."

Later that evening, Vicki and Thomas got into an argument, and he tried to draw William into it. William suggested to Laura that they should leave and head home. Thomas' sister later messaged Vicki, who replied: "Alc's a w***er tbh." When asked if Thomas was drunk, Vicki responded, "No, coke."

The couple left Club 3000 at 9:10 pm, after Thomas had consumed 11 pints of lager and Vicki had six and a half pints. CCTV footage captured them arguing outside the venue, with Vicki seen holding up her finger towards Thomas after he was seen holding a white packet and rubbing his nose and lips.

Once home, Vicki went to her son's old room, wearing only her underwear and a robe. Around 9:30 pm, a neighbour walking by Vicki's house heard a woman's scream coming from inside.

At 11:01 pm, Laura received a text from Vicki's phone, which read: "Sorry I done something so bad thanks tell (name of defendant's daughter) I'm sorry bye."

Laura believed the text was from her brother. Sara also received a text from Vicki's phone at 11:02 pm, which said: "I done something really bad tell (name of defendant's daughter) I'm sorry."

Sara rang Vicki's phone, twice. During the second call, she swore she heard Thomas say, "Victoria is dead and I have killed her."

She didn't believe it and thought it was a joke and responded "So funny, get f*****."

Ffion left Club 3000 at around 11.30pm and Laura asked her to perform a welfare check. She left herself into the couple's home at 12.30pm where she saw Thomas asleep and Vicki's lifeless body. Ffion said: "At the top of the staircase I noticed a pair of legs in the doorway. I approached the door and saw her lying on the floor flat on her back on the threshold of the door."

Ffion tried to get a response from her: "I used my thumb and index finger, one on each cheek with her chin resting on my fingers and turned her head to face me. I shook her and slapped her cheek on the right side of her face in an effort to gain a response but there was none. I saw her lips were blue. I did not see any injuries on her body and I did not start CPR as I thought she was dead."

When Ffion called 999, she said: "My uncle has text a few family members and said he's done something bad to his girlfriend and he's sorry. I went to check on her and she's not breathing."

Ffion then burst into tears, saying: "I can't get my uncle arrested."

Tragically, Vicki was pronounced dead at 12:47 am, despite paramedics' efforts to save her. Thomas was arrested, but when he was first found, he was unresponsive, and claimed he'd overdosed.

A post-mortem confirmed that Vicki had been strangled to death with pressure applied to her neck.

Thomas confessed to strangling Vicki, but alleged it was a case of "sex gone bad" initiated at her behest. In a letter to his sister, Thomas wrote: "She said grab me by the throat, so I did. Nothing we haven't done thousands of times before... I opened my eyes and looked at her and she was blue and s*** everywhere. I laid her on the floor, put a quilt over her and phoned you and Sara. I panicked, took a load of tablets and turned on the gas. can't believe I killed her, I can't stop crying and shaking. I am totally broken and don't want to be here."

Thomas was convicted of murder and received a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 20 years at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday.