Shaine March, 48, has been given a whole-life order for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Alana Odysseos, 32, after the Court of Appeal ruled his original 42-year sentence was unduly lenient. March killed Odysseos at her home in Walthamstow, east London, in July 2025, inflicting 23 slash and stab wounds. She was in the early stages of pregnancy with her third child.
March had previously been convicted of murder in 2000 for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Andre Drummond at a McDonald's in south London. He was released on life licence in 2013 before killing Odysseos. The Solicitor General referred the case to the Court of Appeal after calls from Conservative MPs, arguing that a whole-life order was appropriate.
Lord Justice Edis, sitting with Mr Justice Cavanagh and Judge Robinson, quashed the original minimum term and substituted a whole-life order, meaning March will never be released. The court heard that March and Odysseos had argued about her pregnancy, and in her final moments, she was heard saying, 'I don't want to kill my baby.'
Tom Little KC, for the Solicitor General, told the court that the case involved a 'constellation of aggravating features' and that a whole-life order was 'just punishment'. The Solicitor General, Ellie Reeves, welcomed the decision, stating it removes a 'dangerous offender' from the streets. Shadow Justice Minister Kieran Mullan expressed delight for the family but noted that more needs to be done to ensure whole-life orders are applied in appropriate cases.
