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Family of murdered Wirral woman take their campaign to Downing Street

ByReport2

Jan 25, 2025

THE Family of a murdered Wirral woman have travelled to Downing Street to demand a change in the law from Keir Starmer.

27-year-old mum-of-three Chantel Taylor was murdered in Birkenhead by Steven Wynne on March 13 2004.

Wynne, a former solider, had been drinking and taking cocaine on the night of the killing.

As he walked home, he encountered Ms Taylor, who he knew from their days at school, and they went to his house on Elmswood Road.

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Wynne claims that when Ms Taylor tried to leave, he suspected she had stolen an ounce of heroin, which he had bought to sell, and demanded it back.

Wynne then struck her in the neck with a meat cleaver.

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She died almost instantly and Wynne then used a saw to dismember the body before hiding it.

Wynne was only being caught when he tried to torch a mosque in Birkenhead in revenge for the July 7 2005 London bombings.

Wynne told police Ms Taylor's body was hidden in various places including a household bin and in undergrowth at a park five miles from his home, her remains have never been found.

Wynne was jailed for life in 2006 and ordered to serve a minimum of 21 years, which was later reduced to 18 years after appeal, but has never revealed where he hid Ms Taylor's dismembered body.

He won the right to be moved to an open prison in May last year after a judge dismissed a government objection and could be freed within months.

Chantel's mother, Jean Taylor and her sisters are now calling for 'Chantel's Law' which is "aimed at addressing a crucial gap in the justice system for cases involving murder and the desecration of victims’ bodies".

The family hope that a change in the law will see killers serve a mandatory 40 year sentence, without parole, for murder when a victim's remains are not found

They have gone further by insisting that murderers who dismember a body, and never reveal its location, should never be freed from prison.

On Thursday, Jean handed in a petition at 10 Downing Street signed by more than 10,000 people backing Chantel's Law.

She was accompanied by MP Esther McVey who is backing the family's campaign.

"Going down to London like this is something no mother should have to do," said Jean.

"We need a combined sentence for killers who murder then go on to dismember their victim's body — as was the case with my daughter Chantel.

"These killers dismember the victim's body to hide their guilt in the hope of never being caught. They also deny the victim's family the rights to a burial. These types of killers premeditate their killing, premeditate the dismembering of their victim's body.

"Around April this year Wynne will be able to apply for parole – this should not be happening.

"There is no law out there that includes murder and desecration together.

"There is both desecration and concealment but it only carries a six-year sentence.

"Families are walking out of court and they don't know where their loved ones' bodies or body parts are and they have to live with that second pain of not being able to put that body in a grave

"If they are caught, the perpetrator can say anything about the events in question, often blaming the victim

"My daughter’s killer was given a 21-year tariff, lowered on his appeal to 18 years.

"This is not justice. There was no sentence given to him for the dismembering of Chantel's body."

Jean said she feels she has the public's support for the campaign and is continuing to collect signatures with the help of her daughters.

She added: "Wynne could be out this year on parole but if Chantel's Law was in place he'd be doing 40 years minimum and wouldn't still be a reasonably young man in his 40s. He'd have another 22 years to serve.

"I won't stop it people understand what Chantel's Law means and I won't stop until it is recognised by our Government and our Judiciary that this law is much needed.

"I am appealing to everyone in Birkenhead and Wirral to support this law in the name of Chantel Taylor."

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “This was a horrific crime and our thoughts remain with Chantel Taylor’s family and friends.

“Murderers face a longer time behind bars if they do not disclose the location of their victim’s body because the Parole Board is legally obliged to consider this when deciding if they are safe to release after serving their minimum term.”

The petition supporting Chantel's Law can be signed in person at The Big Flower Shop at Birkenhead Market.

For more information on the campaign click here

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