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Merseyside murderer

Where is Paul Taylor now?

ON July 29, 2005, aspiring lawyer Anthony Walker was murdered while walking his girlfriend to her bus stop.

Paul Taylor confessed to driving an ice axe into Walker's head in an unprovoked racial attack.

Paul Taylor was one of two men found guilty of murdering Anthony Walker
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Paul Taylor was one of two men found guilty of murdering Anthony WalkerCredit: Mercury Press Agency

Who is Paul Taylor?

Paul Taylor was one half of the pair of racist thugs that murdered 18 year old Anthony Walker on July 29, 2005.

Taylor was from Huyton, Merseyside, a town in the North West of England.

He was 20 at the time of the murder.

He is the cousin of professional football manager and former Manchester City footballer Joey Barton.

Paul Taylor is the cousin of football manager Joey Barton
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Paul Taylor is the cousin of football manager Joey BartonCredit: PA:Empics Sport

Witnesses reported seeing Taylor carving swastikas and his nickname "Chomper" on the sign outside the Huyton Park pub on the night of the crime.

Forensic evidence linked the carvings with the very axe he later admitted using to kill Anthony.

Taylor was found guilty of murder on December 1, 2005

He was ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years and eight months for the murder.

Anthony Walker, 18, was murdered by Paul Taylor
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Anthony Walker, 18, was murdered by Paul TaylorCredit: PA:Press Association

When did he flee the country?

Paul Taylor and his accomplice and cousin Michael Barton fled the country within seven hours of the attack.

They drove the 300 miles to Dover in time to catch a 6am ferry to Calais and then drove to Amsterdam.

On August 3, Barton and Taylor arrived at Liverpool John Lennon airport on the 6.20pm flight from Amsterdam.

The pair emerged from the plane, in handcuffs, trying to shield their faces.

Michael Barton shielding his face at Liverpool John Lennon airport
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Michael Barton shielding his face at Liverpool John Lennon airportCredit: Peter J Jordan

Although accompanied by officers from Merseyside police, they were not officially arrested until they set foot on UK soil.

On Friday, August 5, Merseyside police announced that Barton and Taylor had been charged with murder.

Where is Paul Taylor now?

Taylor is still behind bars, and has not yet received any reductions on his sentence.

On the day of his trial, Taylor pleaded guilty to the murder.

Lord Justice Leveson said that the cousins had perpetrated a "terrifying ambush" and a "racist attack of a type poisonous to any civilised society."

It appears that Taylor has not changed his racist ways, as the reported that in 2013 he was still posting racist content on his Facebook page.

Who was Anthony Walker?

Anthony Walker was an 18 year old A-Level student who dreamed of one day becoming a lawyer.

In an interview with , Anthony's mum Gee said: “My Anthony was the epitome of goodness. He was loving, caring, selfless, wise beyond his years."

The Walker family was of Jamaican decent, and were one of only two black families in the area.

Anthony is the subject of a TV film called Anthony, created by celebrated screenwriter Jimmy McGovern.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

The 90 minute drama will air tonight, July 27, at 8.30pm on BBC One.

McGovern and mum Gee imagine what Anthony's life would have been like had he not been murdered.

Trailer for Anthony - a BBC drama that imagines the life of Anthony Walker, killed in a racist attack in 2005
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