Man, 25, In Court Charged With Murder

June Fox-Roberts was found dead at her home in Llantwit Fardre

June Fox-Roberts
Author: Claire PearsonPublished 26th Nov 2021

A young man has been remanded in custody today charged with murdering a grandmother in Llantwit Fardre.

Company director June Fox-Roberts, 65, was discovered in her detached home after her family raised the alarm.

Luke Deeley, 25, is accused of her murder - and police say he was not known to mother-of-three Mrs Fox-Roberts.

Her body was found at her house in Llantwit Fardre, near Pontypridd, on Sunday afternoon after the family raised the alarm.

Deeley had been reported missing from his home days earlier.

He appeared before Merthyr Magistrates' Court wearing a grey sweatshirt. The case was delayed to find a Welsh language interpreter.

Deeley spoke only to confirm his date of birth and address.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday (November 29). He gave an address of a rented flat in Roath, Cardiff, and a family home in Glyntaff, Pontypridd.

Police said there were currently no known links between Ms Fox-Roberts and Mr Deeley.

Det Supt Darren George, the senior investigating officer, said: "I would again like to offer my personal thanks to the local community for their support during the investigation.

"The charging of a 25-year-old local man is quite clearly a significant development in the investigation and I hope this goes some way in offering re-assurance to the local community.

"I can also confirm that there are currently no known links between June and the person charged."

Det Supt George said: "My thoughts remain with June and her family who we continue to support through specially trained officers."

Deeley, who lived three miles away in of Pontypridd, was arrested two days after the discovery of her body after police had scoured woodland nearby.

Her family described her as a "kind hearted, generous woman who was never happier than when with family and friends around her."

Divorcee Mrs Fox-Roberts had been a director of her family IT firm - but also a renowned cook who had run a bakery nearby.

Grandmother Mrs Fox-Roberts had three children Trisha, Sebastian and Abigail.

A statement from her family said: “We are in utter shock about the death of our mother. Her murder will never make sense to us.

"She was a kind hearted, generous woman who was never happier than when with family and friends around her.

“She loved her family dearly and we will never be the same. We are heartbroken."