Warning: This article contains graphic details about human remains and violence that may distress some readers.
Known affectionately as ‘Baby Bear’ by his family, 31-year-old Tyrone France met a tragic end in 1996 during what appeared to be a drug deal at a scenic forest spot. Authorities responded to reports of a fire in Wentwood Forest near Newport on May 11, discovering charred teeth, 343 bone fragments, and spent bullets amid the ashes.
The Initial Discovery
The forest, a popular camping area, often yielded remnants of unauthorized fires and animal bones. However, alert forestry workers flagged unusual findings, prompting a thorough investigation. Officers set up a protective tent and gridded the site into 50cm sections to meticulously collect every identifiable bone fragment.
Detective Chris Parry, among the first on scene, described the evidence: “At the front was what appeared to be half a skull, badly burned. The police surgeon confirmed it was human, which was astonishing.”
Fragments from the head lay in one area, while foot bones scattered elsewhere, helping reconstruct the body’s position during the blaze. Investigators recovered 343 pieces but lacked clues on the victim’s identity, gender, or even if a full body was present—a rarity in such cases.
Forensic Breakthroughs
DNA analysis was rudimentary at the time, so experts relied on physical evidence. Dr. Richard Shepherd, a seasoned forensic pathologist, noted that large sections of the body, including the torso, were absent. The recovered fragments represented just 5-10% of the body, with many from the thigh bone.
Assembling the pieces revealed fractures caused by intense heat expansion, strong enough to crack the body’s densest bone—the femur—indicating an accelerant fueled the fire. This bone also provided the victim’s estimated height: between 5ft 11in and 6ft 1in.
Despite the fierce burn, items survived: a pin badge, keys with a provocative charm reading ‘My body is my own, but I am prepared to share it,’ a watch face and strap, and bullet casings. A public appeal yielded tips from two women identifying the remains as their boyfriend and ex-boyfriend, Tyrone France, who had vanished recently.
Keys matched those from Tyrone’s last known address, confirming his identity. Yet the motive remained elusive until witness Jason Preece came forward.
Unraveling the Crime
Preece initially claimed to be the last to see Tyrone alive but later admitted inconsistencies. He described picking up Simon Spring and Dylan Watcyns for a planned drug deal that turned deadly. Preece said Spring ordered Tyrone from the car amid an argument, then shot him once, followed by a second execution-style shot.
“It was almost a gangland killing,” Parry stated.
Spring, with no prior convictions, held a firearms license. A search of his home uncovered three guns, including a 9mm pistol matching the scene’s shells. Reports indicated Spring had borrowed £2,000 two months earlier to acquire the weapons and fancied himself an enforcer for a fictitious gang called ‘the firm.’
Despite appearing as a devoted father to a two-year-old, Spring harbored a violent streak. Watcyns alleged Spring coerced him at gunpoint to build a bonfire over Tyrone’s body. They later wrapped the remains in a wet carpet and dumped them in the River Usk.
Divers recovered a torso resembling a log, with a hip section intact. Pathologists matched it to the femur fragments, proving it was one body. Dental records sealed the identification as Tyrone’s.
Autopsy revealed two torso bullet wounds: one entered the lower back, severed the spinal cord, pierced the heart, and exited the chest, causing instant paralysis, massive bleeding, and unconsciousness.
“A killing that seemed like a scene from a Hollywood movie turned out to be true,” Shepherd explained.
The Trial and Legacy
Preece, Spring, and Watcyns denied murder charges. Spring pleaded manslaughter citing diminished responsibility. In 1997, Spring and Preece received life sentences with a 18-year minimum for murder, while Watcyns got seven years for manslaughter.
The judge labeled it a ‘brutal and pitiless murder,’ noting the perpetrators inhabited a drug-infested ‘twilight world’ in Newport. “These men, especially Simon Spring, lived out fantasies as tough enforcers for shadowy groups,” observed Penny Roberts, a reporter who followed the case. “Tragically, those delusions led to Tyrone France’s execution.”
Tyrone’s sister Tarnia called the trial ‘horrific.’ Raised on the Isle of Wight with an English mother and St. Vincent father, Tyrone faced prejudice in 1980s Britain, leading to minor troubles. He moved to Newport in 1992, becoming a known local figure and small-time drug dealer, but his death stunned the community.
“Mum was devastated; he was her baby boy,” Tarnia recalled. “He was bubbly, charming, always smiling—that’s why we called him Baby Bear.” Media often reduced him to ‘drug dealer and womanizer,’ overlooking his warmth.
Preece was released on bail in 2012, Spring in 2014. The case highlights the grim realities of 1990s gang culture in Newport, uncovered through relentless forensic work.
