A violent and controlling man killed his pregnant girlfriend after telling her to have an abortion, a court has heard.
Alana Odysseos, 32, was in the early stages of pregnancy with her third child when Shaine March stabbed her 19 times at her home in Walthamstow, east London, on 22 July 2024.
Shortly before her death, March had threatened Ms Odysseos and accused her of cheating. He also said the unborn child was not his, the Old Bailey was told.
Hours before her death, neighbours allegedly heard the couple arguing, with a female voice saying: âI donât want to kill my baby.â
At 3am, members of the public in Lynmouth Road rang 999 after finding Ms Odysseos outside her home wearing a nightie and dressing gown and clutching her right side.
Bleeding from multiple stab wounds to her body, she pointed at the defendant standing nearby and shouted: âShaine stabbed me, he stabbed me. Help, help.â
March walked away and Ms Odysseos died on the ground outside her address despite the efforts of police and paramedics, jurors heard.
March, 47, Surrey Quays, south-east London, has admitted her manslaughter by diminished responsibility but denied murder.
Opening his Old Bailey trial on Thursday, prosecutor Louise Oakley said Ms Odysseos had been seeing March for around four months and had recently found out she was pregnant.
The victim had experienced âhuge personal lossâ in her life, having lost two partners, who were the fathers of her two children, the court heard.
Ms Oakley said: âShe was vulnerable. All she wanted by the time she died was to be loved.â
Around three months before, Ms Odysseos began to tell friends and family details about the defendantâs behaviour, saying they argued constantly, jurors were told.
She allegedly told a friend she was not allowed to talk to people, and had to answer the phone to March at all times of the day and night to tell him where she was.
She divulged March had destroyed or thrown out her childâs toys and said that they argued over her pregnancy.
Ms Oakley said: âShe admitted that she was scared of the defendant. There had plainly been physical violence. You will hear reference to a glass smashed in her face.â
The defendant put distance between Ms Odysseos and her family âwhere he couldâ and accused her of cheating, the prosecutor added.
The victim allegedly showed her sister WhatsApp voice notes sent by the defendant shouting and threatening, calling her names, saying their unborn child was not his and telling her to get an abortion.
When urged to leave him, Ms Odysseos said she loved him and that he had promised to change, the court was told.
During the evening of last July 21, Ms Odysseos messaged her sister that March was âacting upâ.
She replied: âOh sis u deserve so much better x,â to which Ms Odysseos said: âCanât help who u love but he donât love any of us.â
Ms Oakley told jurors: âLittle did she know that hours later, she would be dead.â
Around midnight, neighbours overheard an argument which moved outside, with a male allegedly saying: âIâm not letting you back in, Iâm fed up with you, you always do this.â
Ms Odysseos was standing outside in her dressing gown crying, trying to apologise.
The row appeared to settle down until the early hours when Ms Odysseos was found outside the property with fatal stab wounds to her chest, stomach, pelvis, shoulders, buttocks, right arm, thighs and lower legs.
At 4.41am, staff at Creams Cafe in Walthamstow called 999 to report finding a man covered in blood who told them he had killed his wife and child.
Following his arrest, March allegedly told police: âI did it. I killed her Alana Odysseos. I killed her hahahaha.â
As he was put into a police van, he allegedly went on to asked to be put in jail âwhere I belongâ, saying he was âscumâ and deserved it.
On route to Barking Police Station, March allegedly said: âI hope she isnât dead. I hope the baby in her belly is still alive. But you know what yeah? But I did say to her, have the abortionâŚâ
The defendant later allegedly told a prison officer that he âsaw redâ and stabbed his girlfriend with a knife from the kitchen after arguing about a pair of his trainers.
He also revealed he had disposed of three mobile phones down a drain near to her home, jurors heard.
One of the phones was recovered and police uncovered a voice note recorded as March walked away from the scene, saying: âMum I just killed a woman, and Iâm going back to jail.â
Ms Oakley rejected the defendantâs claim of having a mental disorder at the time of the killing, saying the evidence showed he murdered his girlfriend âin a fit of angerâ.
The trial continues.
