A man who murdered his pregnant girlfriend after being released from prison on licence has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 42 years. Shaine March, 47, killed Alana Odysseos, 32, at her home in Walthamstow, east London, on 22 July 2024. She was in the early stages of pregnancy with her third child and died at the scene from stab wounds.
March admitted murder on the seventh day of his trial after an expert no longer supported his claim of diminished responsibility. The court heard that March had been convicted of murder before: in 2000, aged 21, he fatally stabbed 17-year-old Andre Drummond at a McDonald's in Denmark Hill, south London. He was released on a life licence in early 2013 but recalled later that year after stamping on the stomach of another pregnant girlfriend. He was released again in February 2018.
Hours before killing Odysseos, March argued with her about whether to abort their unborn child. The victim was heard saying: 'I don't want to kill my baby.' Prosecutor Louise Oakley argued for a whole-life order, citing the 'exceptionally high' level of offending, but Mr Justice Murray rejected this, noting that given his age, March may never be released.
Odysseos's mother, Karen Cronin, described her daughter as 'beautiful, kind and loving' and called March 'evil and a coward'. Her sister Jasmine Yates said: 'You took more than one life that night. You took Alana, you took the baby she was carrying... I fear if you are ever released you will kill again.'
Detective Inspector Aytac Necati said March was unhappy with the pregnancy news, leading to an escalation in controlling and coercive behaviour. Odysseos was among the women included in the Guardian's Killed women count, highlighting femicide in the UK. She was described as a 'brilliant mother' who 'completely doted' on her daughters.
