Double Murderer Receives Whole Life Order for Killing Pregnant Partner
A convicted murderer who killed his pregnant girlfriend while already on licence for another murder has been handed a whole life order by the Court of Appeal, ensuring he will never be released from prison.
Brutal Crime in Walthamstow
Shaine March, 48, was convicted in October 2025 of murdering 32-year-old Alana Odysseos at her home in Walthamstow, east London, in July 2024. The victim was pregnant with their child at the time of her death and was also a mother to two other children.
March initially received a 42-year sentence for this horrific crime, but the case was subsequently referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Appeal Court Intervention
The Solicitor General referred March's second life sentence to the Court of Appeal after it emerged he had committed this murder while on licence for another previous murder conviction. During Thursday's hearing, barristers argued strongly that March should have received a whole life order from the outset.
In a significant ruling, Lord Justice Edis, sitting with Mr Justice Cavanagh and Judge Alice Robinson, declared: 'The sentence was unduly lenient. We quash it, and we quash the minimum term order that the judge made, and substitute in its place a whole life order, which means that the offender will never be released.'
Defense Challenge Rejected
March's legal team had challenged the length of his original sentence, claiming it was 'manifestly excessive', but this argument was firmly rejected by the appeal court judges. The court emphasized the particularly aggravating factors in this case, including:
- The victim was pregnant at the time of her murder
- March committed this crime while on licence for another murder
- The brutality of the offense against a vulnerable victim
- The devastating impact on the victim's family and children
The whole life order represents one of the most severe sentences available in the British justice system, reserved for the most serious cases where judges determine the offender should never be released.
This ruling sends a strong message about the consequences for those who commit violent crimes while already serving sentences for previous serious offenses, particularly when vulnerable victims are involved.
