Elderly murder witness David ‘Joe’ Neilson, is too scared to return home to Sussex, in fear he will be killed by Sussex Police.

The full story of Katrina Taylor’s murder and the cover up that followed.

How one man had to fight against some of the UK’s most powerful criminal organisations to try and get justice for Brighton’s most controversial unsolved murder.

Between 10.30pm on 4th July and 3.30am 5th July, 1966, Karina Taylor was stabbed to death, by 5 stab wounds to her upper torso, with two puncturing her heart and causing death. The body of Katrina Taylor was found in the graveyard of St Nicholas Church, in the centre of Brighton, at 8.30am in the morning.

The 19-year-old mother of an eight month old daughter was a petty criminal and heroin user, who had just met up with her boyfriend Mattie Laurie and his friend John Cosham, to burgle the property of Neisha Williams.

Supporting a heroin addiction costing up to £200 a day, Katrina acted out as a lookout, while Neisha Williams was robbed of a number of electrical items. They even returned later to steal the washing machine, and set fire to the furniture.

This one act committed on 8 May 1996, would set into motion a turn of events which would eventually result in Katrina’s death, two month’s later on 4th July 1996.  

She was spotted sitting on the steps of a Brighton seafront hotel by Simon Williams, the brother of Neisha WIlliams, who was burgled, who at the time was in his car with his girlfriend, Sarah Jackson.

According to eyewitnesses Simon stopped his car, got out, and Katrina ran into the hotel. The hotel’s manager recalls Katrina running in saying, “that black guy is going to kill me.”

Simon Williams entered the hotel and grabbed hold of Katrina, all the while Katrina pleading Simon not to hurt her. “Don’t hurt me, I know you’re going to hurt me.”

According to evidence given in court, both Katrina Taylor and Simon Williams arrived at 77 Centurion road in Brighton at about 6.15pm.

Katrina admitted to having sold Neisha’s stereo and admitted to have acted as a lookout, while her home was burgled.

Events were set to escalate and take on a more sinister turn.

There is no direct evidence to suggest what occurred between this time and the death of Katrina, only the killers of Karina knew what happened that fateful night.

We can only surmise that Katrina made a run for it. Waited for an opportunity to escape, and once it came she took it. She would have ran for the door and ran as fast as she could.

But with her killers in hot pursuit, she would have only reached the graveyard of St Nicholas church before being caught and murdered in cold blood.

Over the next 25 years, four people were charged with her murder. The trial was held at Lewes Crown Court in 1997. Two were found not guilty and two were found guilty. Those found guilty appealed on 15 Oct 1998 and got a retrial at the Old Bailey in London 1999.

No one has been found responsible for her murder.

The story behind Katrina Taylor’s murder, reveals a sinister partnership between organised crime and Sussex Police.

One man stumbled over this connection, and his world has never been the same again.

Heralded a hero for discovering the murder weapon that killed Katrina Taylor, David ‘Joe’ Neilson, has since gone onto become a thorn in the side of Sussex Police, ignored by Aged Concern, and banned from reporting crimes against himself.

READ MORE: Taylor Investigations – Katrina Taylor The Unsolved Murder Sussex Police wants to erase from history! https://taylorinvestigations.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/katrina-taylor-unsolved-murder-covered-up-evidence/