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Jordan Taylor jailed for 'sick' murder of Laura Davies | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A man who murdered his girlfriend by stabbing her 80 times in a "jealous rage" has been jailed for life. | A man who murdered his girlfriend by stabbing her 80 times in a "jealous rage" has been jailed for life. |
Laura Davies, 21, was attacked near the Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society base in Basildon, where she lived and worked. | Laura Davies, 21, was attacked near the Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society base in Basildon, where she lived and worked. |
Judge Charles Gratwicke described it as "a brutal and sick, callous killing". | |
Jordan Taylor, 22, of Basildon, must serve a minimum of 23 years in jail for murdering Miss Davies just moments after she had ended their relationship. | |
Follow live updates on this story and other Essex news | Follow live updates on this story and other Essex news |
Taylor had denied murder but was found guilty by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday. | |
Sentencing him to life in prison, Judge Gratwicke told Taylor: "The jury saw through your lies, and saw you for what you are - a devious, jealous and ruthless individual prepared to unleash extreme violence on anyone who crosses your path. | |
"This was a brutal and sick, callous killing." | |
During the eight-day trial the court heard Taylor and Miss Davies had been together since December 2014. He had moved into the flat which came with her job as a groom at the sanctuary. | |
Miss Davies had told friends she planned to end the relationship on the evening of 3 July last year - the night she was murdered. | Miss Davies had told friends she planned to end the relationship on the evening of 3 July last year - the night she was murdered. |
'Vicious and sustained attack' | 'Vicious and sustained attack' |
The kitchen knife Taylor turned on Miss Davies had been used with such force it was bent to a 45-degree angle. | The kitchen knife Taylor turned on Miss Davies had been used with such force it was bent to a 45-degree angle. |
The court heard Taylor claimed he stabbed her twice in self-defence after she attacked him. Things went "foggy" after that, he said. | The court heard Taylor claimed he stabbed her twice in self-defence after she attacked him. Things went "foggy" after that, he said. |
He said he could not remember most of the attack and denied murdering Miss Davies. | He said he could not remember most of the attack and denied murdering Miss Davies. |
However, the Crown Prosecution Service described it as a "vicious and sustained attack" carried out by Taylor while he was in a "jealous rage" after Miss Davies ended the relationship. | However, the Crown Prosecution Service described it as a "vicious and sustained attack" carried out by Taylor while he was in a "jealous rage" after Miss Davies ended the relationship. |
Prosecutors said the attack on Miss Davies began in the flat in Pitsea Hall Lane, then continued outside as she fled in her pyjamas. | |
Taylor had denied initially making "disfiguring" cuts to Miss Davies' face and left breast as "punishment" for trying to end the relationship, before eventually going on to kill her. | |
CCTV footage showed Taylor attempting to hoist Miss Davies' near-lifeless body over a hedge out of view. | |
He was found by police crouching in bushes near her body. Miss Davies died later that night in Basildon Hospital. | |
Taylor was charged with her murder. | |
'Jealous and ruthless' | |
The jury heard Taylor, a martial arts enthusiast, had tried to control a number of aspects of Miss Davies' life. | |
Her mother Dyanne Lambert told the court he would not allow her daughter to wear short-sleeved or low-cut tops and the couple would often argue. | |
"She became very quiet and didn't want to talk about what was going on," she said. | |
Judge Gratwicke said Miss Davies' family had been "totally devastated by [Taylor's] wicked actions". | |
"This was an appalling killing and you have shown not a shred of remorse through the trial for your actions," he told Taylor. |