Mother of murdered woman campaigns for 40-year sentence for killers hiding bodies

The mother of a murdered and dismembered woman whose body was never found has demanded that “life should mean life”.

Jean Taylor, who has called for a new 40-year sentence for killers who withhold information on their victims, has gone further to insist they never be freed from jail without disclosing the body’s location.

The campaigner is fighting for justice after Stephen Wynne murdered mother-of-three Chantel Taylor, 27, before disposing of her body in several places.

Jean said: “As you can imagine, this time of year is the worst time.

“I went and put a holly wreath down on a memorial that I’ve had put up for Chantel inside a cemetery. I should have been giving her presents on Christmas day. The pain is horrific. And then to have to carry the insult from our judiciary.”

“I will never stop campaigning and supporting victims’ families of homicide but how can you make sense of our judiciary when the deterrent has been lost over the years. It’s awful.”

The former soldier had picked up Chantel near his home in Birkenhead on Merseyside, in March 2004, before brutally murdering her with a meat cleaver.

But despite Wynne telling police her body was in places including a household bin and in undergrowth at a park five miles from his home, her remains have never been found.

Jean, who began the campaign group Families Fighting for Justice, wants the introduction of Chantel’s Law which would see killers serve a mandatory 40 year sentence, without parole, for murder when a victim’s remains are not found. The Express is backing her calls.

Wynne, who was 26 at the time, was jailed for a minimum term of 21 years. But it was later reduced to 18 years by the Court of Appeal.

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

 Jean said: “Where does that leave our loved ones and others like our family? Life should mean life if you take a life with incense.

“To me, for the dismemberment of my daughter’s body, there was no sentence. He was given a life sentence which doesn’t mean life unless it’s specifically with no tariff.”

When Chantel went missing, Jean spent almost 19 months searching for her across the country.

She said: “I hated the rain because I thought my daughter’s body -if anything had happened to her – was lying out there somewhere getting wet. I don’t like the rain because now, not to know where she is. 

“To me, he’s treated her like she’s nothing. Not to have that closure is an added pain and suffering that me and my family have had to carry for over 20 years. It’s so painful. I cannot have my daughter’s body blessed. She’s out there somewhere but where?”

“What would a 40 year tariff or sentence mean? Would it make him think? Would it make others who do those kinds of killings think again? 18 years is an insult. An absolute insult and a disgrace to humanity. It really is. It’s awful.”

Jean has written to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick to support her push to get Chantel’s Law on the statute books.

She said this would “fill a gap” in Helen’s law which requires parole boards to consider a murderer’s failure to disclose the location of their victim’s remains when deciding on release.

Jean’s demands are backed by more than 10,000 signatures on a petition calling for a change in the law.

Jean, who has yet to receive engagement from the new Government, said: “This change is long overdue and will ensure that the severity of such crimes is properly recognised and punished.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman 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.”