Whitelock, 57, from Clydach, was previously jailed for life in 2001 after battering a man to death with an axe handle and setting fire to his body. The flames also killed his own brother, who was sleeping at the time.
At the time, he was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years imprisonment.
The Parole Board originally released him in December 2018 where he moved in opposite Ms Buckney.
In December 2020 he returned to prison after being convicted of assaulting a shop worker in a Co-op store in Swansea. The following October he was released for a second time.
Whitelock, then went on to kill her at her flat in August 2022, before denying murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
However, in November he was found guilty of murder. He has today been handed a whole-life tariff – meaning he will never walk free.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Davies said:
“We are pleased that Brian Whitelock has been given a full-life tariff, which is a fitting sentence due to the countless lives that have been destroyed because of his actions.
“Despite his past, Brian Whitelock received nothing but kindness from his neighbour Wendy Buckney. He repaid this kindness by carrying out her senseless murder.
“The level of violence Brian Whitelock enacted upon his defenceless victim was sickening.
“Defending himself in court, Brian Whitelock’s aim was to distance himself from his actions, but the reality is that he was well-aware what he was doing.
“Wendy Buckney’s family has been through an unimaginable amount of pain and heartbreak because of the actions of Brian Whitelock. I hope, because of today’s sentencing, that they can finally feel closure, and can begin grieving the loss of Wendy.”
In a statement read out on her behalf, Ms Buckney’s sister Anne said:
“The way in which her life was taken we will never understand and we cannot or will ever accept,” she said.
She said Whitelock had robbed the family of their sister, auntie and friend and that there would “always be an empty void”.
“We can never move on from this. However, we just want justice for our sister and our auntie,” she added.
“He has taken the life of his friend, the person who never did him any wrong.
“Wendy’s own fault was to care too much and believe everyone deserved a second chance.”
[Lead image: South Wales Police]
