Sandra Phillips

Sandra Phillips was murdered in the sex shop she worked as a counter assistant in on 14 June 1985.

She had been raped, battered beyond recognition, strangled with a cord and then scalped. She had been assaulted with a chair or table leg and was said to have put up a fight. Her ribs were broken, her breastbone was fractured and her jaw was left hanging off. She had also been covered with petrol, but not set alight. The petrol had left parts of her skin a dark brown parchment and brittle to the touch, with it being noted that its effect was that it removed fingerprints from her body.

It was noted that she had been raped and attacked in different parts of the shop and there was blood splattered all over the premises.

It was thought that she might have been beaten with a telephone handset, but neither the handset nor the shops keys were found.

It was thought that she had been attacked shortly after she opened the shop.

It was reported that the murderer or murderers had got away with the takings, Sandra Phillps's purse and just £5 from the till.

She had been murdered around lunchtime whilst the streets outside were busy with people. Her body was found slumped behind the counter by the area manager when he called round at about 2pm. He had found the door locked but had used his own key to get in. 

The shop had been one of a nationwide chain.

Two brothers, aged 24 and 26 were convicted for her murder in 1985 but later released in 1992 after it was shown that one of them had a history of confessing to crimes he did not commit. At the time they were described as small time criminals.

They were convicted after one of them confessed that he had seen the other kill Sandra Phillips. At the trial the brother that confessed denied the murder, stating that he had been forced to confess under duress from the police.

At the appeal it was heard that other evidence had been suppressed, including details and photos of a bloody palm print near a phone board.

Sandra Phillips had managed the Private Shop, a sex shop in Dillwyn Street, Swansea. She was said to have reluctantly taken the job six weeks earlier to earn money for her family.

The shop had run a video rental club and the police said they were going to interview all of the club members.

In 2005 the shop was re-examined by the police and a false wall was discovered that might have preserved evidence from the crime.

The police also appealed for three men to come forward who were described as being key to the new investigation. They also interviewed all 200 members of the blue movie video club again.

Sandra Phillips had four children.