Greenwich Holiday Inn killer found guilty at murder retrial

Convicted rapist and serial woman abuser Taye Francis murdered 23-year-old Khloemae Loy by stabbing her in the neck in July 2020. 

In November 2021 a jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty of murder but his conviction was later quashed by the Court of Appeal and a retrial was ordered. 

During the new trial at Woolwich Crown Court it was argued that Francis' responsibility for the killing was diminished as he was hearing voices in his head. 

He believed Khloemae was conspiring against him with neighbours, but the jury were told that this paranoia was driven by the side-effects of anabolic steroids which he was taking voluntarily. 

On Wednesday (July 9, 2023), at the end of a second agonising trial for Khloemae’s parents, a jury found Francis guilty of murder again. 

Francis, now aged 42, attacked Khloemae with a knife he had bought from Asda then sent a photo of her lying dead on a bed to his lawyer saying “I’ve killed my girlfriend”. 

He then phoned 999 but barricaded the door as he packed his bags and attempted to make an escape, a court heard. 

Taye Francis was convicted of rape against a ex-girlfriend in 2002 (Image: Metropolitan Police)

Francis, formerly known as Ashley Wyatt, had a string of convictions for violence against women. 

In 2002 he was jailed for six years and placed on the sex offenders’ register for two rapes, kidnap and having a blade. 

The victim in that incident was an ex-girlfriend who was abducted on her lunch break, forced onto a train where she was raped in the toilet, then taken to an address where she was raped again. 

Francis also had several convictions for domestic abuse against other partners, including threatening to kill one with a knife in 2015. 

Khloemae had met the defendant in 2017 while working at a pub near Croydon College, where she was an 18-year-old student. 

She told her parents, Maxine and Dany Loy, that he was 26 when he was in fact much older 

Mr and Mrs Loy said: “Taye tricked her into his world. He lied to her from the very beginning. He lied about his age, his job and the fact he was a student at a local college. 

“He tried to manipulate and control Khloemae from the outset. He took her away from her family and friends and physically and emotionally abused her.” 

In 2017 Francis assaulted Ms Loy and threw her in a wheelie bin. He was given a 20-week prison sentence and restraining order, but he then contacted to Khloemae from prison and they got back together. 

During the original trial prosecutor Kate Lumsdon KC told jurors: “Her parents encouraged Khloemae to leave Mr Francis. 

“Khloemae said she could not leave him or he would attack Mr and Mrs Loy. The records paint a picture, you may think, of an aggressive, controlling man and a troubled, frightened woman who is struggling with her mental health.” 

The court heard that Francis’ fears and paranoia about neighbours finding out about his 2002 rape conviction led to him and Khloemae constantly moving homes. 

In the weeks before Ms Loy’s death the couple had moved at least four times before ending up in the Holiday Inn in Greenwich. 

Just before 10am on July 5, 2020, operators received a 999 call during which Francis said: “Quick, my girlfriend’s dying – I’ve stabbed her in the neck.” 

When police arrived he had barricaded the room with a sofa bed and smashed and climbed out of the window on the fifth floor of the hotel. 

The defendant, who had cuts to his body and had recently taken steroids, was eventually dealt with by the emergency services, put into an induced coma and taken to hospital. 

In the period leading up to the killing Francis’ internet searches showed he was aware of the impact of taking steroids. 

When uniformed police knocked on the door of the victim’s parents, Mr Loy answered and said: “He’s killed her, hasn’t he?” 

Khloemae, described as the life and soul of the party (Image: PA)

In a statement read out in court, Mr and Mrs Loy said: “She is missed by her family and friends. We all miss her bubbly personality, she was always the life and soul of the party and she always tried to see the best in everyone. She was like our little china doll. 

“At the age of 23 Khloemae had already endured five years of suffering at the hands of Taye Francis when all she did was seek love and commitment from him. Even though Khloemae is no longer here with us she still exists. Taye has taken Khloemae’s life but in doing so he has also ruined ours. 

“We no longer have her around. We cannot experience her love and happiness. At 23 she never really got to experience life. She didn’t get the opportunity to settle down into a comfortable home, she was constantly moving around with him. She didn’t get the chance to get engaged, get married or have a baby; experiences that others take for granted. 

“We as her family and friends don’t get to share these experiences with her. We should have been helping her to plan her wedding and looking forward to becoming grandparents but instead we have had to plan and arrange her funeral.” 

Mr and Mrs Loy said they received a letter from Francis while he was in prison. They said he showed no remorse but asked for £300 in cash and told them that if they sent the money he would give them the code for a yellow storage unit which held some of Khloemae’s belongings.  

On Friday (July 11, 2023) Judge Christopher Kinch KC sentenced Francis to a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years, which was identical to the initial sentence he received at the Old Bailey two years ago. 

Judge Kinch said: “I am not ordering that you are released at the end of that 23-year term. Whether you are released at that stage, or at any later stage, or at all, is a matter for the parole board to consider.” 

He added: “There are indeed many troubling aspects about your behaviour, it may be the case that they never decide to release you, ever.”