LONDON MAN GETS JAIL TERM CUT FOR PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND MURDER

A man convicted of murder after stabbing his pregnant girlfriend more than 40 times with scissors has had his sentence shortened by the Court of Appeal. Liam Taylor murdered Ailish Walsh, who was nearly 23 weeks pregnant, at their flat in Hackney, east London, on December 15, 2022. Originally sentenced to life with a minimum term of 27 years after pleading guilty to her murder at the Old Bailey in August 2023, the appeal court reduced his minimum sentence to 25 years on Wednesday. The reduction was due to the absence of a sexual element in his crime, as stated by Mrs Justice Justine Thornton. Taylor's defense argued that the earlier judge incorrectly categorized his actions as 'sadistic' and 'sexual,' asserting there was no factual basis for those labels and that his attack was a spontaneous loss of temper. He also has previous convictions for attacking female family members. Prosecutors highlighted that Walsh's wounds were indicative of an attempt to harm her unborn baby, aware that she was pregnant with his child. Mrs Justice Thornton observed that Taylor abandoned Walsh after the attack, making no effort to contact emergency services, but acknowledged that no sexual element was involved, leading to a sentencing reduction. The case featured serious aggravating factors, but the lack of a sexual component was significant for the sentencing outcome.