Taxi Murder: Man Jailed For 'Savage' Stabbing

A Birmingham man who murdered the mother of his three children in a "savage and prolonged" knife attack in the back of a taxi has been jailed.

Junior Mohammed Oakes, who killed Natasha Trevis five days after a social worker "let slip" that she had aborted a fourth child, was ordered to serve at least 22 years before being considered for parole.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Oakes, 28, stabbed his victim 26 times in the head, face, neck, chest, back and legs last August.

Oakes had been due stand trial for the murder of 22-year-old Ms Trevis, but pleaded guilty to the charge before a jury was sworn in.

Sentencing Oakes, Judge William Davis QC described the killing as an "act of savagery" which had robbed three children under the age of four of their mother.

The judge said of the killing, which was witnessed by the taxi's driver and other members of the public: "All of (your children) will grow up knowing that their father killed their mother.

"She was a good young mother, a mother to three young children aged three, two and one."

Judge Davis told Oakes: "By your savage attack on her, you have taken her away from both her children and indeed her mother.

"I described the attack as savage because you inflicted 26 separate wounds with a knife - many of them required severe force, and many of them were inflicted from behind.

"This young woman was either turning her back on you or trying to escape. She did escape from the taxi but you chased her and continued the attack even as she tried desperately to save herself."

Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor David Matthew said the murder was committed on the morning of Oakes's 28th birthday as the taxi headed towards the victim's mother's home.

Before sentence was passed, the court heard that Oakes made a comment while on remand claiming to have "killed his missus because she had killed one of their kids".

Oakes, who is illiterate and has a record of domestic violence, was cautioned for assaulting a previous girlfriend when he was 19.

He was also cautioned by police in 2004 for possessing a bladed article, as well as being convicted in 2006 of assaulting the new partner of his father's ex-girlfriend.

Ms Trevis met Oakes when she was about 18, and the couple lived at flats in Weoley Castle and Five Ways, Birmingham.

Mr Matthew said social services were involved with the couple and Oakes was no longer residing at the family home by the time of the murder on August 7.