Schoolboy murderer Josh Davies acts out the strangling of a girl in a breaktime prank that was photographed and posted on his Facebook page.
The chilling picture is one of dozens of the 16-year-old still online today after the ‘breakfast bet killer’ was convicted of murdering ex-girlfriend Rebecca Aylward.
Another photo on his site shows the blond assassin smiling as he poses with the best friend he later accused in court of battering the 15-year-old to death with a rock.
But the mock strangling, which shows the killer faking a suffocation by pulling a jumper over another girl’s neck, fit the ‘murder obsessed’ image friends described at Swansea Crown Court.
The jury, which convicted Davies by a 10-2 verdict on Thursday, heard that he had talked about battering Miss Aylward to death.
Another boy joked that he would buy him breakfast the following morning if he did.
Davies bludgeoned Miss Davies to death and later wrote on Facebook: ‘Good day with my friends and a lovely breakfast’. It was followed by a smiley face.
The five-week trial heard how Davies left Facebook messages as an alibi just hours after killing Miss Aylward in the village of Aberkenfig, near Bridgend.
One said he was going to watch Strictly Come Dancing on TV, and another said he was watching the violent thriller No Country For Old men.
But sick Davies also expressed his concern that Miss Aylward was missing even though he knew where her body lay in woods.
A friend on Facebook said: ‘Have you seen Rebecca. I tried phoning you earlier to ask you but you didn't answer and then your phone was off.’
Davies replied: ‘Sorry, I didn't know it was you. No I haven't seen her but. I've already spoken to her mother.’
And in another message, referring to his victim’s worried mother Sonia Aylward, he said: ‘Tell Sonia that I'm off to bed soon, but ring me if she needs anything.’
The jury at Swansea Crown Court was given a directory of text speak used by children on Facebook, MSN and mobile phone messaging.
In the months and weeks leading up to Miss Aylward’s murder, he would post messages on social networking sites including Facebook, MSN Messenger and Bebo, saying he wanted to kill her.
His friends would respond to these sickening threats in jest, often egging him on in the mistaken belief that he was messing around.
But Davies was deadly serious and continued sending the messages until just days before he battered her to death in a woodland clearing.
Before he left to meet his ex-girlfriend on the day of the murder he told one friend: ‘The time has come.’
In one chilling exchange seen by the jury, Davies texts his friend asking: ‘What would you do if I actually did kill her?’
The friend replies: ‘Oh, I would buy you breakfast.’
Two days before the brutal murder Davies says: ‘Don’t say anything but you may just owe me a breakfast.’
His friend replies: ‘Best text I have ever had mate. Seriously, if it is true I am happy to pay for a breakfast. I want all the details. You sadistic bastard.’
The text finishes with a smiley face symbol.
After Davies was convicted his friends continued to leave messages of support on his Facebook page.
One friend said: ‘Josh! I miss you man! I miss your laugh!! Miss you loads. I remember when we were down pandy park and you sat on the ball and it went bang and we laughed:( I miss those days when we used to have a laugh,i know deep down you aint like that, I miss you loads!:(<3xxxxxxx’
Another wrote: ‘Josh,missing you babe! just want it to go back to how it used to be,when i was meeting you and you jumping walls showing off infront off my friends ;} hehe! i do miss you love, take care.’
But his best friend, 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: ‘He's dead to me, my name was dragged through the dirt in court but it's all over now.
‘I'm looking to the future now - the nightmare's over.’
And the boy who made the breakfast bet with him, said: ‘It's over mate, been through all the s*** and come out the other side.’
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed Davies will not be able to access his page while in a young offenders' institution awaiting sentence.
