‘Evil’ man who inflicted 199 injuries on young mum in ‘relentless’ screwdriver attack jailed for life

An “evil” man who stabbed a young mum to death by repeatedly stabbing her in the face and head with screwdrivers has been jailed for life.

David Jackson, 68, inflicted 199 separate injuries to 27-year-old McKyla Taylor during a “relentless” attack in his bedroom on 15 August last year. Ms Taylor, who had a four-month-old baby, was killed by a fatal blow which penetrated the bone in her midface and punctured her brain, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

The 68-year-old then cut the straps on her top and the front of her bra before hiding her body under a duvet on the bedroom floor of a flat in Lowtown Street, Worksop, with eights and push bikes stacked on top.

They had seen each other during the day on 15 August, but Ms Taylor’s family alerted police when she did not respond to their calls or messages. Her body was later discovered by Nottinghamshire Police who forced entry into her flat at around 2am the following day on 16 August 2022, with the force saying officers were greeted by a “grotesque and obscene spectacle”.

The 27-year-old was pronounced dead at around 2.30am by paramedics and a post-mortem investigation later revealed the extent of her injuries. Forensic evidence showed most of the wounds had been inflicted inside the bedroom by two screwdrivers discovered in the living room.

Mr Jackson, who had arrived at the scene a few hours later asking if he could get a jumper from his flat, casually mentioned to an officer that he had killed someone upstairs, police said. He was met by police when he returned at 4am with “fresh scratches and bruises” and told officers: “Oh. She was already dead when I was stabbing her.”

Prosecutor Chris Aspinall said Ms Taylor’s body was found with terrible facial injuries and covered in blood. He told the court: “She attempted in vain to fend off his onslaught. She was literally fighting for her life. It must have been a painful and terrifying ordeal.”

The court heard that Mr Jackson and Ms Taylor had been in a “mutually dependent relationship” in which he paid her for drugs and sexual services, including beating him.

Mr Aspinall added: “Although this was a particularly savage murder there is insufficient evidence to conclude it involved a sexual or sadistic conduct.” He said the murder was aggravated by her relative vulnerability and Mr Jackson’s “previous mistreatment and sexual exploitation of her”.

At the time of the attack, the 68-year-old was on bail for assaulting her on 22 March when she was seven-months pregnant. He also tried to assault her with a “small rake” on an earlier occasion and had previous convictions for sex offences dating back to the 1970s.

Mr Jackson pleaded guilty to her murder in court and on Thursday (1 June) was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years behind bars.

Detective Chief Inspector Clare Dean, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Mckyla was a young woman who was loved and adored by her family and many friends. Her life was taken away from her in the most brutal fashion by David Jackson, who has shown very little remorse and would not give any account in interview.

“Detectives carried out a meticulous investigation, with many officers working around the clock to gather the evidence against him. He continued to deny murdering Mckyla until shortly before a trial was about to begin – inflicting further pain and anxiety on her loved ones.

“The attack Jackson inflicted on Mckyla was relentless, causing catastrophic injuries which ultimately led to her death. He has taken away a loving and caring mum, daughter, sister, and friend.

“Today’s sentence will not bring Mckyla back, but it does mean that Jackson will spend a considerable part of his life behind bars, and I hope this gives her family some comfort.”

Mr Jackson sat expressionless as he heard Ms Taylor’s family talk about the devastating impact of her death, with her mum, Emma Sentence, 45, branding him “an evil man”. She said: “The agony you have put me and my family through will forever leave its scars. How can you live with yourself knowing what you have done? All she ever wanted was to be a mummy. She only got that for four short months before you snatched all that away from her.”

Ms Sentence went on to pay tribute to her daughter and “best friend” after Mr Jackson was sentenced. She said: “Mckyla had a smile that would light up the room and a contagious laugh. She was just a fun-loving girl.

“I still remember the weekend she was killed as if it was yesterday. We had a lovely weekend sunbathing, listening to music and doing our nails and then she left and that was the last time I saw her.”

Ms Taylor’s brother, Callum Taylor, 26, will now be looking after her one-year-old daughter in the same house that Ms Taylor grew up in. He said: “It is like a part of Mckyla is coming home. Mckyla had always wanted to be a mum and was so thrilled when she found out she was pregnant. I just want to do my best to bring up her daughter and give her a normal, loving life.

“Mckyla was a lovely and loving person. She always put other people first. If she was in a house fire Mckyla was the sort of person who would be the last out. We were really close growing up and went to the same primary school. I can remember the camping holidays we went on as a family which were so much fun.

“No sentence will ever be enough for what happened to Mckyla. I will never forget waking up that day and hearing she had been killed. I cannot understand why anyone would want to hurt someone that kind. I don’t really feel like I have been through the grieving process yet. I’ve just wanted to stay strong for others.”

Ms Taylor’s older sister, Nicole, 29, described her as the “life and soul of the party”. She said: “She was born on my first birthday and Mckyla, me and Callum were really close growing up.

“She was always bubbly, always singing, always dancing. I remember going to our grandparents’ house and we would sing and dance, stand on tables and have fun. They were the best times.”

Jailing Mr Jackson for life, Judge James Sampson said the killer would not be eligible for parole for another 16 years and 135 days, taking into account the 230 days he has already served in custody.

Annette Thomas, senior crown prosecutor from the CPS East Midlands, said: “David Jackson committed a horrific attack, inflicting nearly 200 injuries on a younger, vulnerable woman after a disturbing pattern of abusive behaviour towards her.

“Today’s sentence reflects the cruelty of that attack, the distress and suffering he inflicted on his victim and his abusive, sordid background. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Mckyla’s family and loved ones.”