By Charlotte Webster-
A convicted murderer, Shaine March, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 42 years today at the Old Bailey after brutally killing his pregnant girlfriend, Alana Odysseos.(pictured) March, 47, stabbed and slashed Ms. Odysseos, 32, 23 times at her home in Walthamstow, northeast London, in July last year.
Alana Odysseos was murdered in July last year. Pic: PA/family handout
She was in the early stages of pregnancy with her third child at the time of the horrific attack. The judge imposed the lengthy minimum term due to the exceptional brutality of the crime and March’s appalling history of violence. The culmination of this trial with the Shaine March Sentencing delivers justice, but cannot alleviate the immense grief experienced by the victim’s family.
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Shaine March was sentenced on Friday. Pic: Metropolitan Police/PA
March, appearing by video link from Belmarsh prison, notably did not react as members of Ms. Odysseos’s family shared heartbreaking impact statements detailing their devastating loss. Defense barrister Sandip Patel KC informed the court that March had initially refused to leave his cell, dismissively telling prison staff, “It’s only sentencing.” This brazen contempt for the judicial process further amplified the emotional agony suffered by the victim’s loved ones present in the courtroom.
March initially attempted to plead manslaughter by diminished responsibility, but changed his plea to guilty for murder on the seventh day of his trial. This crucial change meant the jury was discharged and the judge could finally proceed with the Shaine March Sentencing. The court acknowledged the high level of planning and viciousness involved in the killing, making the imposition of a high minimum term necessary.
The Old Bailey heard that the Shaine March Sentencing was significantly aggravated by his dark and violent criminal history, which included a previous murder conviction. Reporting restrictions were lifted following his guilty plea, allowing details of his past to be publicly disclosed.
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March was just 21 years old when he violently killed 17-year-old Andre Drummond by stabbing him in the neck at a McDonald’s restaurant in January 2000. Convicted of Mr. Drummond’s murder in July 2000, March was subsequently jailed but later released on licence in early 2013, having served his mandatory minimum term.
His release proved short-lived and demonstrated his consistent risk to the public. He was recalled to prison later that same year after committing an assault on another partner in July. Subsequently released again in February 2018, March had been in the community for several years before meeting Ms. Odysseos. They had been seeing each other for approximately four months before the fatal argument.
The relationship had rapidly deteriorated. Hours before the killing, the court heard the couple argued intensely over whether to abort their unborn child. Ms. Odysseos was heard to plead: “I don’t want to kill my baby.” This tragic argument appears to have been the catalyst for his violent outburst, culminating in the horrific murder that led to the heavy Shaine March Sentencing.
Details of the murder were horrifyingly specific. Witnesses found Ms. Odysseos outside her home on Lynnmouth Road, wearing a nightie and a dressing gown, clutching her right side, and desperately bleeding from multiple stab wounds. She frantically shouted: “Shaine stabbed me, he stabbed me. Help, help.” March heartlessly walked away, leaving his victim to die on the ground outside her own home.
She had suffered 23 stab wounds across her chest, stomach, pelvis, shoulders, buttocks, right arm, thighs, and lower legs. Before attempting to evade capture, March recorded a chilling voice note, whispering: “Mum, I just killed a woman, and I’m going back to jail.” He threw his mobile phone into a drain, but police still arrested him. Following his arrest, he chillingly told officers: “I did it. I killed her Alana Odysseos. I killed her hahahaha.”
The victim’s family delivered incredibly powerful and moving victim impact statements, directly addressing the court and March’s enduring evil. Alana’s mother, Karen Cronin, described her daughter as a “beautiful kind and loving” woman. Mrs. Cronin stated the man who committed the atrocity was “evil and a coward,” expressing profound anger. She declared that she would “never have forgiveness in my heart” for the killer, adding: “I want him to die in prison. He should never be let out.”
Alana’s father, Alan Yates, noted his daughter had drastically changed after meeting March, becoming a “timid vulnerable person who was not our Alana.” Mr. Yates voiced his hope that the sentence ensures Shaine March will “never cause another family the pain and loss we are suffering. It is unimaginable and we will never get over our loss.” He lamented March’s utter disregard for their child: “Alana was pregnant with his child. This meant nothing to him.” The court’s decision in the Shaine March Sentencing reflects the severity of this callous disregard for human life.
Mr. Justice Murray, presiding over the Shaine March Sentencing, emphasized March’s appalling previous record as a serious aggravating factor in determining the minimum term. The judge delivered the life sentence with the mandatory 42-year minimum, ensuring March will remain in prison until he is nearly 90 years old, provided he adheres to all regulations. The case reignites necessary public debate concerning the management of dangerous offenders released on parole, particularly those with histories of violent crime and domestic abuse.
March’s multiple parole revocations demonstrate significant failings in risk assessment and community supervision. The justice system faces continuous scrutiny regarding the balance between rehabilitation and protecting the public from repeat violent offenders. This tragedy underscores the persistent, fatal danger domestic violence poses to women across the country.
The government continues to review measures to combat gender-based violence and improve monitoring of dangerous individuals on licence, as detailed by the Ministry of Justice’s parole reform policy].
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