A violent and controlling boyfriend stabbed to death his newly-pregnant partner after she refused to abort her baby, the Old Bailey has heard.
Shaine March, 47, is accused of murdering Alana Odysseos, 32, at her Walthamstow home last July, just a few weeks after she learned she was expected her third child.
Jurors heard March had denied being the baby’s father, told Ms Odysseos to “get an abortion”, and on the night of the stabbing she was overheard saying: “I don’t want to kill my baby”.
Before the fatal stabbing, Ms Odysseos outlined to a friend how March controlled her movements, banned her from talking to people, threw away her child’s toys, and once smashed a glass in her face.
Her sister urged her to leave March after she revealed he had accused her of cheating, forced her to delete male contacts from her phone, and hurled verbal abuse at her, the court heard.
But they were still together on July 22 last year, when, in the early hours of the morning, Ms Odysseos was fatally stabbed 24 times.
After the stabbing, March branded himself “evil” and admitted he was responsible for his partner’s fatal injuries.
The court has heard March is a “lifer”, he has served time in prison for a violent offence, and was out on licence at the time of the stabbing.
He denies murder but has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley told jurors it is disputed that March was suffering an “abnormality of mental functioning” at the time, pointing out that he disposed of evidence and told his mother: “I just killed a woman and I’m going back to jail”.
“He had violently killed his partner in a fit of anger, and he knew that for him there were going to be serious consequences”, said Ms Oakley. “But he knew what he was doing.”
Outlining the case, the prosecutor said: “At approximately 3am on July 22, 2024, members of the public who lived in and around Lynmouth Road in Walthamstow began to ring 999.
“They had found Alana outside her home address. She was wearing her nightie and a dressing gown. She was clutching her right side. She was bleeding from multiple stab wounds to her body.
“She was shouting ‘Shaine stabbed me, he stabbed me’, and ‘Shaine stabbed me, he stabbed me, help, help’.”
The court heard Ms March was pointed out Ms Odysseos at the scene, and he “walked away” while efforts were ongoing to save her life.
Police found a bloodied handprint made by Ms Odysseos next to the front door, apparently left as she desperately fled from her own home.
Ms Oakley told jurors: “By July 2024, she had been in a relationship with the defendant for approximately four months on the date of her death, and had recently discovered she was pregnant.
“She was someone who had experience huge personal loss following the death of two partners who were the fathers of her children.
“She was vulnerable and all she wanted was to be loved. She desperately wanted to create a family environment for her two-year-old daughter.”
Ms Oakley said Ms Odysseos had told a friend in the months before she died that there was trouble in her relationship.
“She disclosed to a friend that she was not allowed to talk to people, and that she had to answer the telephone to him at all times, day or night, including video calls to prove where she was, who she was with, and what she was doing.
“She said they would also argue constantly.
“In other conversations she also divulged that the defendant had destroyed or thrown out all of her daughter’s toys and that they had argued about the fact she had recently discovered she was pregnant.
“She admitted that she was scared of the defendant and had been assaulted by him.
“You will hear reference to a glass being smashed in her face.”
The court heard Ms Odysseos complained that March “had interfered with and caused distance between her and her loved ones.
“She told her sister that the defendant accused her of cheating on him, that she had had to delete all the telephone number of any male contacts in her phone”, said Ms Oakley.
“On one occasion, Alana showed her sister voice notes on Whatsapp that the Defendant had sent her, they were of Shaine shouting, threatening to get (her daughter) taken away from her, calling Alana all sorts of derogatory names, saying their unborn child was not his and telling her to get an abortion.
“As a result, her sister tried to persuade her to leave him. But Alana said she loved him, even after that short period of time they had been together. He promised Alana he would change.”
The day before the fatal stabbing, Ms Odysseos told her sister in a messaging conversation that March was “acting up”.
Her sister told her: “U deserve so much better”, but Ms Odysseos replied: “Can’t help who u love but he don’t love any of us.”
At around midnight, neighbours overheard a lengthy argument, the court heard, with a male voice shouting “pregnant” and female voice pleading “come back” and “I don’t want to kill my baby”.
March had gone around to her flat to help move some furniture, and an argument broke out over a pair of trainers.
Jurors heard neighbours recorded some of the row, while Ms Odysseos also filmed some of the unfolding incident. But Ms Oakley said March destroyed her mobile phone before the footage could be seized.
The prosecutor said neighbours went round to check on Ms Odysseos’ welfare, but she said over the intercom that she was fine.
“My goodness, how wrong she was”, said Ms Oakley.
March was arrested by armed police at Creams Cafe in Walthamstow just before 5am, after staff called 999 on a man who had entered while covered in blood, reporting that he “killed his wife and child”.
The court heard a laughing March told officers: “I killed her”, and he added: “Send me to f***ing jail where I belong”, calling himself a “sickhead” and “scum”.
On the journey to the police station, March also said to police: “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 because you already got a three year old already and she can’t manage another one.”
Later on, March referred to himself as “Shaine Michael Evil March” and told police they should “broadcast to the world” that he “killed her”.
The court heard the weapon used in the stabbing, a long-black handled kitchen knife, was found discarded in the front garden.
March, of Rainsborough Avenue, in Surrey Quays, south-east London, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, entering the plea on the first day of the trial. He denies murder.
March is sitting in the dock with a medical mask over his face.
The trial continues.
