A pregnant woman was stabbed to death by her violent and controlling boyfriend – who had already served a life sentence for murdering someone else.
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.
March, 47, was on trial at the Old Bailey where he had admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility before dramatically changing his plea and admitted murder.
It can now be reported that March was aged 21 when he fatally stabbed a man in the neck at a McDonald’s restaurant in January 2000.
He was convicted of 17-year-old Andre Drummond’s murder at the Old Bailey on July 17, 2000, and jailed for life.
Following his release on licence in early 2013, he was recalled to jail later that year after an assault on another partner in July and released again in February 2018.
He had been seeing Alana for around four months before the killing.
She had experienced ‘huge personal loss’ in her life, having lost two partners, who were the fathers of her two children, the court heard.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley said: ‘She was vulnerable. All she wanted by the time she died was to be loved.’
In April last year, Alana had confided in her father Alan Yates that March had been in prison and was on licence, the court was told.
She 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.
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Alana also showed her sister WhatsApp voice notes of March shouting and threatening her, 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, Alana’s sister Jasmine 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, Alana said she loved him and that he had promised to change, the court was told.
During the evening of last July 21, she messaged her sister that March was ‘acting up’.
Ms Yates replied: ‘Oh sis u deserve so much better x,’ to which Alana said: ‘Can’t help who u love but he don’t love any of us.’
Ms Oakley told jurors: ‘Little did she know that hours later, she would be dead.’
Around midnight, neighbours overheard an argument and saw Alana standing outside in her dressing gown crying.
The row appeared to settle down but at around 3am she was found outside the property with fatal stab wounds to her chest, stomach, pelvis, shoulders, buttocks, right arm, thighs and lower legs.
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 left Alana there where she 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 recorded a voice note saying: ‘Mum, I just killed a woman, and I’m going back to jail.’
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 went on to asked to be put in jail ‘where I belong’, saying he was ‘scum’ and deserved it.
On the way 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…’
While in handcuffs and accompanied by two officers, March kicked the head of a fellow detainee, knocking three of his teeth out, the court had heard.
Mr Justice Murray remanded March into custody to be sentenced on October 31.
The court heard the prosecution would asked the judge to consider imposing a whole life order.
Members of Alana’s family had sat in court throughout the trial.
On Friday, they witnessed March shouting and swearing in the dock before he returned to court in the afternoon and entered his guilty plea, bringing the case to a dramatic halt on its seventh day.
The family thanked prosecutors and the Metropolitan Police team of investigators before leaving court.
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