The murder of Khloemae Loy
Check-In To MurderThe murder of Khloemae Loy is a tragic story of domestic abuse and coercive control. Khloemae was only 23 years old when she was killed by her boyfriend. The warning signs were present from the beginning – but as so often in cases of coercive control, they were not enough to prevent the tragedy that followed.
Crime+Investigation examines the abuse Khloemae endured, the warnings that went unheeded, and the questions her case raised about how agencies respond to escalating domestic violence. The case is featured in the new series Check-In To Murder, available now on Crime+Investigation.
Who was Khloemae Loy?
Khloemae Loy was a 23-year-old woman living in south London when her life was taken from her. She was close to her mother and father, Maxine and Dany Loy, who paid tribute to her in their victim impact statement. Calling her their ‘little China doll’, Mr and Mrs Loy stated that Khloemae had a ‘bubbly personality’ and that she was ‘always the life and soul of the party’. They also say that Khloemae, 'always tried to see the best in everyone', which is particularly telling in hindsight.
In 2017, Khloemae was a student at Croydon College. She worked at a pub close to the college, and it was there that she met a man named Taye Francis. Francis, originally called Ashley Wyatt before he changed his name, had a significant and violent criminal history.
Khloemae thought that Francis was a fellow student. The truth was that he was almost twice her age. He also had a job as a personal trainer and was known to frequently abuse anabolic steroids.
Taye Francis
Francis had a history of abuse and a significant criminal record that included numerous previous convictions. In 2002, Francis, then going by his previous name, faced a serious conviction after he abducted a previous girlfriend. He raped her in a train toilet while threatening her with an axe. He then raped her again whilst at a house. This crime led to a six-year sentence under the charges of rape, kidnap and possession of a bladed article. Francis also received a lifelong placement on the sex offenders register because of this.
Francis received another conviction in 2013 after assaulting and threatening a woman. He sent a message to her stating, ‘I'm gonna kill you, gonna stab you in the neck and get your family.’ He received a non-molestation order and was imprisoned for the assault.
This pattern of abuse against women only continued. In 2015 he received a criminal damage conviction during a domestic incident. One year later, he attacked another ex-girlfriend, leading to a conditional discharge.
Khloemae’s abusive relationship
Francis’s abusive ways continued when he formed a relationship with Khloemae. In February 2017, Francis was convicted of assault when he threw Khloemae into a wheelie bin. He received a 20-week prison sentence and a restraining order. It seemed as though Khloemae had broken free after his conviction, but unfortunately, by December 2019, they began seeing each other again.
Khloemae shared her fears about her relationship with Francis with her parents. She told them he had a paranoid personality, and was constantly on edge for fear of being attacked. This stemmed from his first conviction and his placement on the sex offenders list. Prosecutor Kate Lumsdon QC stated during the trial, ‘It appears that he became obsessed with the idea that people knew that he was on the SOR and as a result wished to do him harm.’
Khloemae’s distress was apparent, and by 2020, she was still discussing her fears with her mother. She was kept in hospital overnight in early June 2020 when fears were raised for her wellbeing after she was seen sitting on a window ledge. Her parents fervently encouraged her to leave Francis, but she expressed new worries that he would hurt her parents if she left him.
Because of this, her parents took her back to the flat she shared with Francis in Sutton. After finding Francis in the flat barricading the next floor of the flat with his bed and wearing a stab vest, Khloemae’s parents took the couple to temporary accommodation in Slough. It was not long after this that Khloemae was killed.
The murder of Khloemae Loy
On 4th July 2020, the pair checked into the Holiday Inn Express in Greenwich. The next morning, Francis called 999 saying his girlfriend was dying as he had stabbed her in the neck. He took a photo of Khloemae while she was bleeding to death and sent it to his solicitor. The message he sent with it simply read, ‘I’ve killed my girlfriend.’
Despite attempting to flee the scene, Francis was caught by police and put on trial for murder. In December 2021, he was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years to be served.
The Domestic Homicide Review that followed her murder highlighted Khloemae’s case as an example of escalating abusive behaviour instead of isolated assaults. The review urged the need for agencies to spot early warning signs and communicate them effectively.
Khloemae’s parents summed up her tragic circumstances during their victim impact statement, ‘At the age of 23, Khloemae had already endured five years of suffering at the hands of Taye Francis when all she did was seek love and commitment from him.’
Khloemae's story is explored in more detail in a new Crime+Investigation series, Check-In To Murder.
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