Ex-soldier Stephen Wynne murdered Chantel Taylor then dismembered her body – now he could be freed after just 18 years
A soldier who brutally murdered a young mother with a meat cleaver could soon be freed from prison in a move that will devastate her grieving family.
Killer Stephen Wynne murdered 27-year-old mum-of-three Chantel Taylor by striking her in the neck and then dismembering her body with a saw in one of Britain’s most horrific killings.
Wynne, who was 26 at the time of the murder in 2004, later stashed Chantel’s remains in her own loft before moving them a few days later into nearby woods and the local tip.
Her body was never discovered, meaning her heartbroken family were forced to hold a funeral with just traces of her DNA from the murder scene in Birkenhead.
Now Wynne, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 after pleading guilty to murder, is set to appear before the Parole Board in the coming weeks.
‘Life Should Mean Life’
The potential release will “horrify” Chantel’s family, according to MP Esther McVey who has been supporting them.
The Tatton MP said: “In this case life should mean life”.
Wynne was originally sentenced to life with a minimum term of 21 years but had this reduced to 18 on appeal – a decision that outraged the victim’s family.
In 2023 he won the right to be moved to an open prison after a judge dismissed an objection by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab.
Judge Overruled Government
A senior judge ruled in Wynne’s favour, concluding that the Government had provided “no good reason” for rejecting the Parole Board’s recommendation to move him to easier conditions.
Mrs Justice Steyn said: “The lack of any good reason to depart from the panel’s recommendation is particularly striking given the panel’s depth of analysis, the clarity of their conclusion, and the consensus of opinion amongst the panoply of professional witnesses.
Mother’s Anguish
Ms Taylor’s mother, Jean Taylor, has previously told of the “deep distress and devastation” felt by her family over the murder.
“I really believed that Stephen Wynne would never go in open prison conditions. I am absolutely disgusted that’s where he is. I do not believe for one moment that is justice for what he has done”, she said.
Jean Taylor founded the Liverpool-based charity Families Fighting for Justice and has campaigned tirelessly for justice for her daughter.
Campaign for Change
Earlier this year Mrs Taylor travelled to London to present a petition to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer demanding a change in the law alongside Chantel’s daughter Whitney, 31, her sister Natasha, 53, and Ms McVey.
They say current rules known as Helen’s Law – whereby a killer who refuses to disclose the location of their victim’s remains are barred from being granted parole – has a “significant limitation.
Chantel’s family say Helen’s Law allows offenders who falsely claim to reveal the location of concealed body parts to “avoid the full accountability they deserve during parole hearings.
The Brutal Murder
Liverpool Crown Court heard how Wynne, who was thrown out of the Army for using cannabis, had been drinking and taking cocaine on the night of the March 2004 killing.
As he walked home, he was approached by Ms Taylor who agreed to go to his house for sex. While there they smoked heroin and Wynne revealed that he had an ounce of the drug which he had bought to sell.
When Ms Taylor tried to leave, he suspected she had stolen the ounce and demanded it back. When she refused, he struck her in the neck with a meat cleaver.
She died almost instantly and Wynne used a saw to dismember the body before hiding it, the court heard.
Caught by Mosque Attack
Wynne was only caught when he tried to torch a mosque in Birkenhead in revenge for the London bombings on 7 July 2005.
Police officers seeking clues to the arson attack, which Wynne admitted to, later asked if he had any information about Ms Taylor’s disappearance and he replied: “I killed her.
Despite Wynne telling police her body was in places including a household bin and in undergrowth at a park five miles from his home, almost two decades on, her remains have never been found.
Family’s Torment
Jean Taylor said: “When Wynne took the life of my daughter, the light well and truly went out in our lives, she was the light in our household, and god how I loved her.
She added: “Stephen Wynne is a dangerous person. And I strongly believe he will be a ticking time bomb if he gets out on parole”.
The family had searched frantically for Chantel for 18 months after she went missing, putting up thousands of posters and giving interviews on national TV appealing for her whereabouts.
Parole Board Decision
A Parole Board spokesperson said: “An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Stephen Wynne and is scheduled to take place in June 2025.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.
Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.
It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority”.
Risk Factors
The Parole Board previously said risk factors in Wynne’s case included “substance misuse, alcohol and drugs”, “poor emotional and anger management”, “impulsivity” and “use of weapons and reactive violence”.
But it concluded that Wynne had been a “calm, resolved and compliant prisoner in the custodial estate”, that he was “unlikely to abscond”, had shown “insight and no longer ruminates with feelings of grievance” and that he had a “sustained period of good behaviour going back many years”.
For Chantel’s devastated family, the prospect of her killer walking free while her body remains missing is an unbearable injustice that compounds their grief nearly 20 years after losing their beloved daughter and mother.
