London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Greenwich hotel murder: Serial abuser guilty of killing girlfriend

Greenwich hotel murder: Serial abuser guilty of killing girlfriend

A "serial abuser of women" has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend at a south-east London hotel.

Convicted rapist Taye Francis used a kitchen knife to stab Khloemae Loy, 23, in the neck on 5 July 2020.

Old Bailey jurors heard the attack took place in a room at the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Greenwich.

Francis will be sentenced by Judge Mark Lucraft QC at the same court on 6 December.

The 40-year-old was described in court as a "violent, self-obsessed man" with a history of drug-taking, who had been convicted of kidnapping and raping a former girlfriend.

Police investigators branded Francis as a "pathological liar and serial abuser of women" who had spent 20 years controlling vulnerable partners.

"Our case is that he killed her in anger. It was murder," prosecutor Kate Lumsdon QC said.

Taye Francis spent 20 years controlling vulnerable partners before killing Khloemae Loy in July 2020


In 2001, under his original name of Ashley Wyatt, he was convicted of abducting an ex-girlfriend on her lunch break and raping her on a train and again at a house.

He received a six-year sentence for kidnap, rape and possession of a bladed article, and was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Jurors heard in 2013 Francis was convicted of assaulting another woman and later sending her a message saying "I'm gonna kill you, gonna stab you in the neck and get your family."

Three years later Francis was again convicted of assaulting an ex-partner during a domestic dispute.

Ms Loy was found dead in a Holiday Inn room on the Greenwich Peninsula


He had met Ms Loy at a pub close to Croydon College where she was studying in 2017, the court heard.

On 4 July last year the couple booked into the Greenwich Holiday Inn Express.

The following morning Francis called 999 and told the operator; "Quick, my girlfriend's dying - I've stabbed her in the neck."

While still on the line to the ambulance operator, Francis sent a photo to solicitors of Ms Loy lying dead on the bed with the message "I've killed my girlfriend."

'Spiral of abuse'


He denied murder, claiming his responsibility for the killing was diminished by a medical condition.

Emma Currie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, described Ms Loy as an innocent victim who was "caught in a spiral of abuse".

She added: "Francis was not only controlling, violent and angry - he was also utterly paranoid and walked around wearing a stab vest.

"As a registered sex offender, he was convinced everyone knew about this and was out to get him."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×