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| Interview with Gee Walker on the 10th anniversay of her son Anthony's murder |
Gee Walker says the pain of her son's death never leaves her and now she has spoken of her fury as Joey Barton's brother applies to have his sentence cut When Joey Barton’s brother Michael was jailed for at least 17 years for a racist murder, his victim’s family believed they had got justice.
But tragic Anthony Walker ’s mum Gee has now spoken of her fury after the 27-year-old has applied to have his sentence cut.
And she said the move will mean having to relive the anguish of her son’s murder by writing statements in a bid to block any early release.
Barton was 17 when he and cousin Paul Taylor attacked 18-year-old student Anthony at a bus stop in July 2005. The assault was so vicious the victim was left with an ice axe impaled in his head.
Despite the savage nature of the unprovoked assault, Barton claims he should have his sentence reduced on parole as he was only 17 at the time.
Heartbreak: Gee Walker (right), the mother of murdered black teenager Anthony Walker, pictured with Anthony's sister Dominique Walker condemn Michael Barton's bid for early release
But devastated Gee, 59, said: “They took away my Anthony’s right to life, so how can they demand theirs should be equal? “My son was stripped of his human rights, and you give up your human rights when you commit murder.
“And now the unfairness of the system is putting us through all that pain again. “Barton’s attempt was totally out of the blue. The system is so unfair that it puts us through that suffering again, for
Taylor and Barton ’s comfort.” After Barton and Taylor, then 20, killed Anthony they fled to Amsterdam.
Former QPR star Joey, 32, made a public television appeal for his brother to give himself up.
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| Early release: Michael Barton has made a bid to be let out of prison early |
Anthony was a devout Christian who hoped to become a lawyer before his life was cruelly cut short. He was with his cousin Marcus Binns and girlfriend Louise Thompson when they were ambushed by Barton and Taylor near his home in Huyton, Merseyside.
They called Anthony a n***** and a c***. The trio moved on to another bus stop but were followed by the yobs. Marcus and Louise escaped but Barton launched his attack before Taylor drove the ice axe 6cm into Anthony’s skull.
Marcus rushed to his cousin’s aid but he died five hours later in hospital. Sitting with 30-year-old daughter Dominique, a police officer, Gee welled up as she told of the moment she arrived at A&E as surgeons battled to save her precious son.
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| Close bond: Anthony aged 16 (left) with Mum Gee in 2003 |
She said: “I waited as a nurse sat and prayed with me. It was surreal, like I was somewhere else. I insisted to the doctors on seeing him but he was in such a state, they didn’t want me to.
“There were trails of blood on the floor, I was skipping on the drops not realising they belonged to my own son. That trail of blood led me to him. I collapsed and they led me away.
“I wasn’t allowed to embrace my son as he was dying . That still haunts me today. It still hurts me. I couldn’t get close to him until after he died.
"Something to do with contaminating evidence, I was told. Why couldn’t I comfort him as he was dying? That’s not fair. I never got the chance to say goodbye to my Anthony until he was gone.”
Paying tribute to Anthony, she added: “He was a magnificent actor, who could turn from tears to a grin in an instant.
“He was a show-stopping dancer, an adept sportsman. We think, now, at 28, what would Anthony be doing if he was alive?
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| Paul Taylor: Also jailed for his part in the attack |
“It’s a long and constant emptiness I feel. It drags me back to that night and the endless pain. I never got to see him married, have children.”
Gee, who set up the Anthony Walker Foundation in her son’s memory, revealed she has not been able to clear out a drawer on his computer desk because it causes too much pain.
She added: “I open it slightly, but close it again. “I still cannot address that. It’s got all his personal stuff. I dust around it, but I can’t venture inside.” Despite the anguish, Gee told how Barton, who attended the same school as Anthony, and Taylor have asked for a face-to-face meeting as part of a restorative justice programme.
And the mum-of-six is keen to take part. She said: “I saw these boys from a very young age and I’d like to know, why? I’d like to get inside their minds as killers, for them to tell me what happened, and why they did it.
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| Tragic waste: The graveside of Anthony Walker, in Wavertree Liverpool |
“What went wrong in their lives? When did they make that transition from innocence to evil? I hope they would answer me that.”
But Dominique is against the idea, believing the pair only want the meeting to get their early release.
She said: “Taylor is only asking for this as it will look good for him. I’m not willing to play his game. Meeting us is something to do for a couple of hours to escape prison lockdown and the monotony.
“I don’t want to hear anything either of them have to say.” And Dominique, who lives in Toxteth, insisted if the pair return to Liverpool after release, she will quit the city.
And Gee claimed racism is still alive on Merseyside. She said her youngest boy Daniel, 23, has endured vile abuse at a bus stop.
Source : Mirror
Posted by Adebayo A J