'Like she’s been killed again': Man who hacked wife to death gets out JUST 13 years into life sentence
EDINBURG, SCOTLAND: A Welshman who murdered his wife in 2008 has been released on parole after 13 years of imprisonment. Emrys Taylor, 79, who killed his wife Lillian with an ax when she was on phone with her mother, was granted parole last month.
Outraged by the decision, Lillian's family has said that Taylor should remain in prison for the heinous crime. "The judicial system stinks in Scotland," Liz Martin, Lillian's sister, said in response to his release.
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After killing Lillian, Taylor called 999 and said, "I have just killed my wife. I’ll go to prison for the rest of my life. It doesn’t matter." He added, “I’ve f***ing bashed her head in. There’s no need for an ambulance. Take her straight to the morgue.”
Taylor attacked his wife with an ax he stole from their garden shed at their Bonnyrigg, Midlothian home in April 2008. She was on the phone with her mother Lena when he began the frantic attack.
Liz, 62, received a letter informing her that Taylor had been released from jail. It came on September 12, which would have been Lillian's 58th birthday. “I actually screamed when I opened the letter. I was so distraught. It took me right back to how I felt when I heard he’d killed her," she said.
“It’s like she’s just been killed again, because the small comfort I had knowing he was locked up and couldn’t hurt anyone else has been taken away. The justice system stinks. Where is the justice when life means 14 years? I felt like I was mourning my wee sister all over again,” Liz added.
The High Court in Edinburgh found Taylor guilty of killing Lillian, and he was sentenced to prison in Wales. According to the Scottish Parole Board's letter, Taylor was prohibited from visiting Edinburgh or Lothian without the permission of his probation supervisor.
Liz said, “So he could apply to come up to the rugby, which he loved, and end up sitting near a member of our family. What kind of justice is that? The people who make these decisions clearly have never had a family member murdered or they wouldn’t be able to show such leniency.”
Liz referenced a letter she had submitted before his previous parole bid in April 2020 in an email to the parole board. It highlighted how horrific the murder was and how it had a lasting effect on the family, stating that their grief was still fresh, reported Daily Record.
The High Court had sentenced Taylor to life in prison, and he was freed in time to celebrate his 79th birthday. He was to spend a minimum of 12 years and 6 months in jail, according to the judge, before being eligible for release. A lifer is qualified for a parole hearing after completing the court-imposed minimum term. If an application is declined, the procedure is automatically restarted at regular intervals.
According to Lillian's relatives, Taylor was resentful of her love for her late parents. According to reports, she spent a lot of time taking care of her mother, which incensed the man.
Liz said, “How could anyone say that someone who did that is no longer a danger? What he did killed my mother as well. She was 79 and didn’t keep well but with Lillian around she was happy and well-loved. When Lillian was killed, Mum was just miserable and crying all the time and taking to her bed."
“It made it worse when Taylor tried to claim our mum had driven him to it, which was cruel and malicious. He hated Mum because Lillian loved her so much, and he wanted to hurt her, which is why he killed her when they were talking. He wanted Mum to hear it. She said she’d never forget the gurgling sound that followed the blow. She just knew he’d killed her. She was totally consumed by grief and was dead within a year,” she added.
Lillian's dad Matthew also died from cancer soon after. According to Liz, "It would be hard to imagine a more savage act or a more brutal death, and I believe it was planned and premeditated."
“Taylor should never have been freed. He didn’t deserve mercy and should have died in prison for what he did," she added. “After the sentencing, the prosecutor said to the family that the judge had given him a fairly short punishment part to his sentence, probably because of his age, but he told us, ‘He’ll never get out’, and we believed him. I feel angry that we were misled and let down."
“How can anyone trust justice in this country when life just means a few years?" a furious Liz asked. "Our family will always feel the consequences of his actions, and I just hope he is too unwell to hurt anyone else.”
The Parole Board has stated that it refuses to comment on individual cases.