A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a transgender woman in her north London home. Romy Maynard, 28, was found guilty of stabbing 22-year-old Chrissie Azzopardi to death in Finsbury Park in April last year.
The Old Bailey heard that Azzopardi, who was awaiting gender reassignment surgery, was discovered lying on her bed with stab wounds more than a month after her death. Neighbours alerted authorities in June after noticing a bad smell.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC described the killing as 'swift and brutal', noting that Azzopardi likely knew her attacker. The court was told that Maynard had removed items linking him to the crime but left biological traces. He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 18 years.
Maynard, who lived on the same street with his girlfriend and child, denied the murder, calling the allegations 'absolute nonsense'. He claimed Azzopardi owed him money for cannabis. The jury reached a unanimous guilty verdict after a two-week trial.
