Boyfriend of murdered groom given life sentence
The boyfriend of groom Laura Davies has been sentenced to life in prison for her murder.
Jordan Taylor, 22, of Churchill Avenue, Basildon, stabbed Laura multiple times in a “frenzied attack” on 3 July.
She died later that night in Basildon Hospital.
He was found guilty of murder yesterday (Thursday, 14 January) at Chelmsford Crown Court following an eight-day trial at the same court.
He was sentenced today (Friday, 15 January) and will serve at least 23 years behind bars.
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DCI Marina Ericson, from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, led the investigation.
“Taylor attacked Laura in the kitchen of [her] flat and as she tried to get away from him, he had followed her through a small garden and in to a grassed area where he then stabbed her repeatedly,” she said.
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“She was fighting for her life. His vengeful and violent actions took that young life away.”
She added that Taylor had displayed “controlling and jealous” behaviour and Laura (pictured, top) had tried to end their relationship.
This came to a head on the night that she was killed.
Laura, 21, worked as a groom at the Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society in Pitsea.
She lived onsite and had been in a relationship with Taylor (pictured, left) since December 2014.
The court heard that she had grown tired of Taylor’s controlling and jealous behaviour and had planned to break up with him on the evening of 3 July.
Police were called to the sanctuary at around 8.15pm that evening following a call from a member of the public, who said he had seen a woman being stabbed and a man standing over her covered in blood.
Officers found Taylor hiding in bushes near the flat and the nine-inch kitchen knife used to attack her was found in undergrowth nearby.
They rushed to help Laura, who had been critically injured in the attack, and Taylor was initially arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.
He was later arrested on suspicion of murder and was subsequently charged.
“We miss her dreadfully and are struggling to come to terms with what happened,” said her mother, Dyanne Lambert, following Laura’s death.
“She was a very loving child who lived for her horses. She had been riding since she was three-years-old when she had her first pony. She had worked at the horse sanctuary for two-and-a-half-years and it was her life.”
Speaking after the trial, her family thanked the eyewitness who called the emergency services and all those who worked on the case.
“Through Laura’s death the world has lost an amazing person and our lives will never be the same without her,” they said.
“Laura was a loving, caring person, who didn’t have a bad bone in her body. She had a passion for animals and devoted her life to caring for and protecting them.
“Laura was beautiful and loved by all who knew her. She is greatly missed and will always be in our hearts and never forgotten.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.