‘Judge should throw book at her killer’

COURT: The Mother of a murdered teenager said a judge should “throw the book” at her daughter’s killer after he admitted a string of historic sex offences against five more victims.

Sharon Hawkhead said she hoped John Taylor’s guilty pleas to 16 more sexual and violent offences means he will die in jail

THE MOTHER of a murdered teenager said a judge should “throw the book” at her daughter’s killer after he admitted a string of historic sex offences against five more victims.

Sharon Hawkhead said she hoped John Taylor’s guilty pleas to 16 more sexual and violent offences means he will die in prison.

Taylor appeared before Leeds Crown Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to offences against female victims in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The 62-year-old abducted and murdered Leanne in November 2000. She was grabbed from a woodland path in Bramley before Taylor killed her at his home.

He then stored her corpse in a freezer at his home in Cockshott Drive, Bramley, as a “trophy”.

Mrs Hawkhead, 57, said: “I hope this means he will stay inside forever. They should throw the book at him. It ‘s just sad that he wasn’t caught for these offences before he did what he did to Leanne.

“It would have been Leanne’s 34th birthday on September 27, but what happened still lives with me every day.”

Taylor appeared in court via a videolink from Wakefield Prison.

He spoke only to confirm his name and enter pleas to the charges as they were put to him by the court clerk. Taylor pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, an attempted serious sexual offence, a serious sexual offence, two of possessing an offensive weapon, four of indecent assault, kidnapping, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and unlawful wounding.

Taylor entered guilty pleas at a hearing on June 6 to a further count of rape and having an offensive weapon.

The offences relate to attacks on five female victims between December 1977 and August 1996.

They include the rape of a woman in the Armley area of Leeds in 1977.

Taylor also admitted indecently assaulting a woman in Bramley Fall woods and putting a knife to her throat.

He pleaded guilty to kidnapping and indecent assault offences against a victim in Armley in 1984.

Taylor entered guilty pleas to a sexual offence and two offences of violence against a woman in Gildersome in 1987. He further admitted to two rape offences and an indecent assault offence against a victim in Bramley in 1996. Prosecutor Stephen Wood asked for the case to be adjourned so victim statements can be obtained ahead of sentencing.

Taylor will be sentenced on Friday October 26.