Violent man killed pregnant girlfriend ‘after release from prison on licence’

A violent man killed his pregnant girlfriend by stabbing her 19 times after being released from prison on licence, a court has heard.

Alana Odysseos, 32, was in the early stages of pregnancy with her third child when she was attacked by “lifer” Shaine March at her home in Walthamstow, east London, early last July 22.

Hours before the killing, the couple had allegedly argued about whether to abort their unborn child, with Ms Odysseos heard to say: “I don’t want to kill my baby.”

Members of the public in Lynmouth Road rang 999 after finding Ms Odysseos outside her home wearing a nightie and dressing gown and clutching her right side.

Bleeding from multiple stab wounds to her body, she pointed at the defendant standing nearby and shouted: “Shaine stabbed me, he stabbed me. Help, help.”

March walked away and Ms Odysseos died on the ground outside her address despite the efforts of police and paramedics, jurors heard.

Before throwing his mobile phone in a drain, March allegedly recorded a voice note saying: “Mum I just killed a woman, and I’m going back to jail.”

Opening his murder trial on Thursday, prosecutor Louise Oakley said Ms Odysseos had been seeing March for around four months and had recently found out she was pregnant.

The victim had experienced “huge personal loss” in her life, having lost two partners, who were the fathers of her two children, the court heard.

Ms Oakley said: “She was vulnerable. All she wanted by the time she died was to be loved.”

In April last year, Ms Odysseos had confided in her father Alan Yates that March had been in prison and was on licence, the court was told.

Her sister Jasmine Yates said she had a “gut feeling” after Ms Odysseos told her that March had been in prison.

Ms Odysseos went on to confide that he had accused her of cheating and made her delete male friends and contacts from her phone, the court was told.

She also showed her sister WhatsApp voice notes of March shouting and threatening his partner, calling her names, saying their unborn child was not his and telling her to get an abortion, jurors heard.

In a statement read to court, Ms Yates described him as having a “split personality and temper issues” but said her sister was “in love” and could not see it.

When urged to leave him, Ms Odysseos said she loved him and that he had promised to change, the court was told.

During the evening of last July 21, Ms Odysseos messaged her sister that March was “acting up”.

She replied: “Oh sis u deserve so much better x,” to which Ms Odysseos said: “Can’t help who u love but he don’t love any of us.”

Around midnight, neighbours overheard an argument and saw Ms Odysseos standing outside in her dressing gown crying.

The row appeared to settle down but at around 3am Ms Odysseos was found outside the property with fatal stab wounds to her chest, stomach, pelvis, shoulders, buttocks, right arm, thighs and lower legs.

At 4.41am, staff at Creams Cafe in Walthamstow called 999 to report finding a man covered in blood who told them he had killed his wife and child.

Following his arrest, March allegedly told police: “I did it. I killed her Alana Odysseos. I killed her hahahaha.”

As he was put into a police van, he allegedly went on to asked to be put in jail “where I belong”, saying he was “scum” and deserved it.

On route to Barking Police Station, March allegedly said: “I hope she isn’t dead. I hope the baby in her belly is still alive. But you know what yeah? But I did say to her, have the abortion…”

The defendant later allegedly told a prison officer that he “saw red” and stabbed his girlfriend with a knife from the kitchen after arguing about a pair of his trainers.

He told the officer that because of his offending history, he had to tell any partner he was a “lifer” and that she played on it, jurors were told.

March, 47, Surrey Quays, south-east London, has admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility but denied murder.

Ms Oakley rejected the defendant’s claim of having a mental disorder at the time of the killing, saying the evidence showed he murdered his girlfriend “in a fit of anger”.

The trial continues at the Old Bailey.