A Bexley murderer who stabbed the mother of his children to death has had the minimum term of his prison sentence reduced to 20 years. 

Tony Curant, 33, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years on Friday (August 2). 

He stabbed Leila Young to death as their terrified kids hid in the room next door at their home on Penhill Road on January 16. 

On Tuesday (August 6) Judge David Aaronberg KC reduced the minimum term to 20 years under the “slip rule”, as he acknowledged he had not given Curant the appropriate reduction for his guilty plea. 

The minimum term set is the least amount of time Curant will serve before he can be considered for parole. If he is ever released he will be on licence for the rest of his life.

The court heard that Leila was a fun and loving mummy who was the life and soul of her family. 

She had been planning on leaving abusive Curant and in texts described him as “the biggest bully she had ever met” and said their relationship was over.   

On the afternoon of the attack Leila left her mum a voice message saying in a quiet voice that she thinks she is going to need back up.  

She also sent a voice recording of her crying as Curant made unsubstantiated claims that she was cheating on him.  

Leila’s mum tried to call her back but got no answer.  

At around 4pm Tony Curant phoned 999 and said Leila had been stabbed and was “basically dead”.  

When emergency services arrived Curant answered the door and told them Leila was upstairs. They found Leila in a pool of blood in their bedroom, Ms Oakley said.  

She told paramedics: “Please save me. I can’t feel my body. Tony done it.”  

Their children were found in the next room. When they were found they asked “is mum still alive” and told officers their dad had taken their phones so they couldn’t call for help.  

Leila died in hospital a week later on January 23. 

The scene of the murder on Penhill RoadThe scene of the murder on Penhill Road (Image: NQ)

'Our family has been shattered’  

In a victim impact statement, Caroline Young said: “My beautiful daughter Leila was brutally taken from us all by the father of her children and the man she trusted. The man she tried to hard to help.  

“Leila was not just my daughter. She was my best friend who I spoke to every day and laughed like I did with no other.”  

Caroline said Leila was the life and soul of their family, bringing them all together.  

“Our family has been shattered by this senseless act of violence. Joy and laughter has been replaced by tears and grief,” she said.  

Caroline told the court her daughter was unrecognisable due to her injuries and she held her hand as she died in hospital a week later on January 23.  

She said: “I cannot think of the words I would want to say to Tony Curant. I am so full of anger I cannot describe. I want to know why you did this to my beautiful daughter.  

“None of this makes any sense to me. I feel I am still living a nightmare but one I can never wake up from.”