A fibreglass pole. Three generations bludgeoned to death in their beds. Fires set to hide the evidence. And a conviction so controversial that twenty-five years later, Wales is still divided.

On June 27, 1999, firefighters in the quiet Swansea Valley village of Clydach made a gruesome discovery. Mandy Power, 34, her bedridden mother Doris Dawson, 80, and Mandy's daughters Katie, 10, and Emily, 8, had been beaten to death with a pole from the children's garden play set. The killer then set fires throughout the house to destroy evidence. It became the largest murder investigation in Welsh history [citation:1].

David Morris, a builder's labourer with a criminal record who had been having an affair with Mandy, was convicted twice and sentenced to life with a minimum of 32 years. He died in prison in 2021, still maintaining his innocence [citation:1].

But the case never closed for those who believe the wrong man is behind bars. No DNA or fingerprints ever linked Morris to the crime scene. Former police officers Stephen and Stuart Lewis, along with Stephen's wife Alison, were the prime suspects before police inexplicably pivoted to Morris. An eyewitness who saw two men matching the Lewis brothers' description near the house was never called to testify [citation:8].

Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because the Clydach murders remain a scar on Welsh justice.

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