Mother of murdered Anthony Walker speaks out after his killer gets sentence cut by High Court

The mother of Anthony Walker, the black teenager murdered in a racist attack 10 years ago, has condemned a judge who has reduced the minimum sentence of one of his killers .

Michael Barton and Paul Taylor were jailed for life for the 2005 murdering Anthony Walker, 18, in Huyton, Merseyside.

Barton today had his life sentence minimum tariff reduced by one year, on the grounds that he is a reformed character, and was under the age of 17 when he committed the murder.

Members of the Walker family were in court to hear the decision that could pave the way for Barton, now aged XX, to make an application for early parole.

College lecturer Gee Walker said her family felt "betrayed" by the ruling, since the law had promised her son's killers would serve minimum tariffs of 17 and 23 years respectively.

Anthony was killed in an axe attack at a bus stop in Huyton on 30 July 2005 which caused national revulsion.

Mrs Walker, who set-up the Anthony Walker Foundation, in her son's name, to promote racial harmony, questioned the message the ruling sends out to criminals.

Gee Walker said:

Gee said she had not attended the court since she had been informed that it had “already been decided”.

Instead her daughter Donna her cousin had attended the court with two police officers to witness the proceedings.

Mrs Walker has said from the outset that she had forgiven her son's killers, Paul Taylor and Michael Barton, the brother of then Manchester City footballer Joey Barton.

She has explained that extending forgiveness was: