Man jailed for murder of Taylor Williams in Basingstoke

A man has been jailed for life with a minimum of 32 years for the murder of 18-year-old Taylor Williams in Basingstoke.

Olamide Soyege (pictured) was found guilty of murder in November last year following a seven week trial at Winchester Crown Court.

He had also been found guilty of robbery and conspiracy to rob.

Today (Friday 29 January), the 29-year-old, of Mayswood Gardens, Dagenham, received a life sentence with a minimum of 32 years.

A second defendant, Paige Taylor, 24, of St Michael’s Road, Basingstoke, who had been found guilty of robbery and conspiracy to rob, was jailed for a total of seven years.

Her sentence included a separate conviction for possession of heroin and crack cocaine.

A third defendant, Terence Maccabee, 19 of Radnor Road, Peckham, who the jury had found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, robbery, conspiracy to rob and possession of a bladed article, will be sentenced at a later date.

Taylor Williams, from Bromley, was found in Shooters Way, Basingstoke, on Saturday 31 August, 2019. He had been stabbed and later died in hospital.

During the trial, the jury was told that the 18-year-old was part of a London-based drug network, and had been staying at a flat in Shooters Way, Basingstoke, when rivals from another drug network turned up and tried to rob him and his associates.

Following a fight, Taylor escaped from the flat via a window but then realised he had been stabbed.

Paramedics found Taylor Williams injured in Shooters Way, following a call at 10.34pm that evening.

Shortly afterwards, Maccabee was found in Normanton Road in Basingstoke with stab wounds for which he was taken to hospital. He was later arrested on suspicion of murdering Taylor.

Following the sentence hearing, Detective Inspector Lee McClellan said: “This has been a challenging and complex case but the ultimate outcome is that Taylor Williams has tragically lost his life as a consequence of getting caught up in the dark and violent world of County Lines drugs networks.

“Taylor was only at the start of his young life and this tragedy will impact forever on the lives of his friends and family. We can only hope that the reality of Taylor’s death will make other young people think twice about getting involved in this brutal trade.

“I would like to thank the tenacity of the investigation team who worked tirelessly to bring this case before the courts.”