A man has pleaded guilty to murdering his pregnant girlfriend with a pair of scissors in what prosecutors called an “exceptionally brutal” attack.
Ailish Walsh, 28, was pronounced dead after police were called to her flat in Rectory Road, Hackney, east London, on the evening of 15 December last year. She was found to have more than 40 puncture wounds. Liam Taylor, 37, pleaded guilty to Walsh’s murder during a hearing at the Old Bailey on Monday. Walsh had been 22 weeks pregnant.
At an earlier hearing, Jane Osborne KC, prosecuting, said: “The attack was exceptionally brutal and carried out knowing Ms Walsh was carrying the defendant’s child. There was a 12-week scan picture and at 22 weeks it would have been fairly evident.”
She said there was a “strong evidential link” between the defendant and the crime scene.
Police were called after Walsh’s father arrived to find his daughter covered in blood and unconscious in her bedroom. Her body was covered with a hi-vis jacket with the defendant’s bank card in the pocket. A pair of scissors covered in blood were found nearby alongside a pair of dumbbells.
Taylor was seen entering through the communal entrance to the building at 8.36pm and leaving at 9.14pm. A few minutes before he left, a female friend phoned the victim and heard sounds of screaming and fighting in the background.
The court heard that the friend had got in contact after Walsh had sent her messages to say she was trying to get Taylor out of the flat because he was taking drugs, the court heard.
Taylor was arrested at his home early the next morning and was found to have cocaine, cannabis and alcohol in his system. While in police custody, he was recorded as saying: “It’s crazy how one moment of madness can change your whole life.”
The court heard that Taylor had previous convictions for attacking female members of his family. He had been jailed for 12 months for assaulting his mother with a metal pole, and cautioned for head-butting his sister when she was 16.
The judge, Alexia Durran, remanded Taylor in custody and adjourned sentencing for the preparation of reports. She told him: “You have pleaded guilty to the most serious offence. There can only be one sentence. The only question will be how long it will be before the Parole Board considers your release.”
The case will return to the Old Bailey on 10 May to set a date for sentencing.
