Murder of Anthony Walker

For other people named Anthony Walker, see Anthony Walker (disambiguation).

Anthony Walker
Born	(1987-02-21)February 21, 1987
Died	July 30, 2005(2005-07-30) (aged 18) Huyton, Liverpool, England
Cause of death	Blood loss from an axe wound to the head
Nationality	Black British
Occupation	A Level Student
Known for	Victim of a racist murder
Partner	Louise Thompson
Website	[1]

Anthony Walker (21 February 1987 - 30 July 2005) was a Black British student of African descent from Huyton, Liverpool, England, who was murdered with an ice axe, by Michael Barton and his cousin Paul Taylor, in an unprovoked racist attack. Anthony was 18-years old and was in his second year of A levels. Anthony Walker lived with his mother, Gee Walker, his father, Steve Walker, his two sisters and one brother.

Murder

Prior to the assault, a hooded man in his late teens, deliberately frightened and intimidated Anthony using racist abuse at a bus stop outside the "Huyton Park" pub where Anthony was waiting for a bus with his girlfriend Louise Thompson and his cousin Marcus Binns.. Louise and Marcus ran to get help, and returned to find Anthony almost dead and bleeding profusely with an axe embedded in his head. He was taken to a hospital but did not regain consciousness and died six hours later. The court heard that Anthony died as a result of an ice axe being swung "at him with such force that its end smashed through his skull and was embedded in his brain".. After the killing, Paul Taylor and Michael Barton (brother of premiership footballer Joey Barton) changed their clothes and fled to Amsterdam.. They were arrested upon their return to John Lennon Airport after their families were informed that they were the main suspects in the attack..

Aftermath

In April 2006 it was reported that Barton had been attacked by fellow inmates at Moorland Closed Prison near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Three other people were later found guilty of helping Barton and Taylor flee to Holland before their eventual arrest. On 10 May 2006 Robert Williams was convicted of providing money and booking a hotel room for the pair. He was sentenced to two years and four months. Paul Morson was sentenced to 11 months in prison for providing a getaway car. Tracy Garner admitted assisting an offender and received an 11-month suspended sentence and 50 hours of community service.

Although they drew frequent comparisons, many denied that there were similarities between Walker's killing and that of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. One such critic was Labour MP Edward O'Hara, who stated that, although there was a "certain surface comparison", Walker's killing was "random, exceptional and representative of absolutely nothing".

Anthony's mother explained her attitude towards her son's killers, saying "I have to forgive them. I can't feel anger and hatred, because that is what killed my son". However, Anthony Walker's girlfriend (Louise), who was present on the night of his murder said she never would forgive them adding, "I hate them for what they have done. Anthony and I shared something special. Now he has been taken away from me by those two evil young men. I still feel that he (Anthony Walker) is around. Yesterday, I sent Anthony a text and just told him he (Barton) had been found guilty. It seemed the natural thing to do."

The Anthony Walker Law Scholarship Scheme

On 2 April 2008, the Crown Prosecution Service announced a legal scholarship in Walker's memory. The scheme will offer one place in CPS Merseyside to a trainee solicitor who wants to become a fully-fledged solicitor or barrister. It is open to any black or ethnic minority person who has secured or intends to apply for a place to study the LPC or BVC full-time.