A man has pleaded guilty to murdering his pregnant Irish girlfriend with scissors in an “exceptionally brutal” attack.
ilish Walsh was 22 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed 40 times by Liam Taylor.
The 28-year-old was pronounced dead after police were called to her flat in Rectory Road in Hackney, east London, on the evening of December 15 last year.
At an earlier hearing, Prosecutor Jane Osborne KC had said: “The attack was exceptionally brutal and was carried out with the knowledge that Mrs. Walsh was carrying the defendant’s child.
“There was a 12-week scan image and at 22 weeks it would have been fairly clear.”
She told the Old Bailey that there was “strong evidence” between the defendant and the crime scene.
The victim’s father had later arrived and found her covered in blood and unconscious in her bedroom
She was covered in a highly visible coat with the defendant’s bank card in her pocket.
Bloody scissors were found nearby, as well as two barbells.
CCTV footage captured 37-year-old Taylor entering through the common entrance to the building at 8:36 pm earlier that evening and exiting at 9:14 pm.
Five minutes before he left, a friend had called the victim and heard sounds of screaming and fighting in the background.
She had been in touch after Ms Walsh sent her messages saying she was trying to get Taylor out of the flat because he was using drugs, the court heard.
Taylor, who had cocaine, cannabis and alcohol in his system, was arrested early the next morning at his home.
When he was taken into custody, he told police, “It’s crazy how a moment of madness can change your whole life.”
The court heard that Taylor had previous convictions for assaulting female members of his family.
He was jailed for 12 months for assaulting his mother with a metal pole and given a warning for head-butting his sister when she was 16.
Today Taylor, from Hornsey, East London, pleaded guilty to the murder of Mrs Walsh at a hearing at the Old Bailey.
Judge Alexia Durran returned him to custody and adjourned sentencing for filing of reports.
She told him, “You have pleaded guilty to the most serious offence. There can only be one sentence. The only question is how long it will be before the parole board considers your release.’
The case returns to the Old Bailey on May 10 to set a sentencing date.
A GoFundMe has raised more than £11,000 (€12,500) to fly Mrs Walsh’s body back to her native Ireland.
“I would like to try and raise as much money as possible to help the family with the funeral expenses and get Ailish back home to Ireland to give her some rest and be back with her family,” organizer Teresa Cannon said earlier.
“I know times are tough right now, but you can’t imagine how hard this is for her family and children, so please, please, no matter how much or how little every penny will help.”
Police were called to the scene in North Hackney just after 10pm on December 15, following “reports of an unresponsive woman at an address in Rectory Road, N16,” a police spokesman said.
Ms Walsh was pronounced dead at the scene “despite the best efforts of emergency services”.
After her death, Detective Superintendent Mark Rogers called it “an incredibly sad incident”, urging anyone with information about the tragedy to come forward.
“My thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.
“I want to reassure them and residents who will be shocked by what happened in their community, we are working hard to establish what happened.
“Anyone who witnessed anything unusual or has information about this incident should contact police as soon as possible,” he said in a statement.