Prestatyn teenager Tristan Roberts who murdered his personal mum pictured for first time
Tristan Thomas Roberts, 18, has pleaded guilty to the murder of teaching assistant Angela Shellis, 45, who was found dead near Prestatyn nature reserve earlier this year
Tristan Thomas Roberts, 18, admitting murdering his mother Angela Shellis, 45(Image: David Powell)
A teenager who brutally murdered his own mother has been seen for the first time. Tristan Thomas Roberts, 18, appeared at Mold Crown Court today where he pleaded guilty to the murder of Angela Shellis, 45.
The teaching assistant was discovered dead in undergrowth next to a footpath near Prestatyn’s Morfa nature reserve by a passerby on October 24.
In a brief hearing this morning, the defendant, dressed in a blue jumper and trousers in the glass-fronted dock, showed no emotion as he entered his plea.
Judge His Honour Rhys Rowlands adjourned the case until sentencing at Mold Crown Court on March 25. He informed Roberts, of Coniston Drive, Prestatyn: “There can only be one sentence for the offence of murder. The fact you have pleaded guilty will be reflected in the sentence.”
An inquest into Ms Shellis’ death was opened in Ruthin in November. John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, heard that Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers had conducted a post mortem examination and gave the provisional cause of her death as blunt force head trauma, reports North Wales Live.
No details about the crime were discussed in court today. Following the teenager’s plea, a spokesperson for North Wales Police said the defendant had been “quickly identified as a suspect and he was subsequently arrested at his home address” before being charged with murder four days later.
Heartfelt tributes have been paid to Ms Shellis, a teaching assistant at Rhyl High School, following her untimely passing.
Her sister Sarah Gunther expressed her grief, saying: “She was only 45 years old and such a lovely, happy person and loved by anyone who met her.
“She had a heart full of love and kindness, always put others before herself. Losing her so suddenly has left our family devastated and struggling to come to terms with this unimaginable loss.”
Rhyl High’s headmaster Philip Collins praised her as “caring and committed”.
He stated: “Angela was a valued member of staff, who joined the Rhyl High team in 2023 and was a caring and committed teaching assistant.
“We are deeply upset as a school community and hold Angela’s family and friends foremost in our thoughts, as they try to come to terms with their loss.”
