A DRUG dealer who murdered a teenager in Basingstoke will serve at least 32 years in prison.

Olamide Soyege was given a life sentence following the murder of Taylor Williams in 2019.

18-year-old Mr Williams was stabbed five times in a drugs robbery gone wrong at an address in Shooters Way on August 31, 2019.

29-year-old Soyege - who was labelled as his drug gang's "enforcer" - was convicted of the murder of Mr Williams by a jury in November 2020.

It was heard that he was sent to eliminate competition from two rival county lines operations that had come to Basingstoke.

Additionally, Basingstoke woman Paige Taylor was convicted of robbery and conspiracy to rob in connected offences, and was given a sentence of seven years.

Terence Maccabee, who was found guilty of manslaughter, will be sentenced at a later date.

The court heard that Soyege and Maccabee had been summoned to Basingstoke by a drugs lord they represented, who found out that two new lines had started operating in the town - known as Coco and Ray.

READ MORE:'My son was my hero': Family of murdered teenager speak after killer sent to prison

The pair were trusted lieutenants of the kingpin and had been staying at Soyege's father's house in Overton.

The jury found that they, along with Paige Taylor, had robbed a drugs runner belonging to the Coco line in Bermuda Park, Popley, before attempting to rob the Ray line in Kingfisher House.

But after Mr Williams stood up to Soyege, a fight ensued and he was stabbed multiple times.

Sentencing Soyege at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, Judge Martin Spencer said he had "little doubt that you intended to kill [Taylor Williams]".

He said: "Taylor Williams was a young man at the start of his adult life when he died at your hands.

"Reading and hearing the statements of his mother and father, it is clear that despite the wrong turning he took, he was deeply loved by his family.

"They both talk of the helpless feeling they have. He was hugely popular, with over 1,000 people attending his funeral.

"The death of a young man goes way beyond a single person, but has a ripple effect on so many others whose lives will not be the same again.

"You clearly knew the Basingstoke area well. For at least 6-7 weeks, you had been deeply involved in supplying Class A drugs to addicts in Basingstoke, working for at least two lines.

"In your evidence, you told lie after lie. I have little doubt that you intended to kill him.

"This was a murder done for game."

The court heard that after a string of violent crimes when he was younger, including the knife-point robbery of a youth worker in 2007, Soyege had stayed out of trouble for ten years.

He had started a dress business, but when that, and his relationship, broke down, he found himself returning to a life of crime, and became a drug user.

His solicitor, Jeremy Wainright QC, told the court: "When somebody has been convicted of murder, there is very little in what can be said in mitigation.

"He expresses remorse about the death of Mr Williams."

Speaking to The Gazette at Winchester Crown Court, Taylor's mother, Fay Livingstone, said: "I am really pleased with the outcome. I really commend Hampshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for all their efforts.

"I am really pleased with the result. It is the best result that I could have asked for.

"It won't bring my son back, but justice has been served."

Taylor's dad, John Williams, added: "My son was my hero. [There is] no closure, his life was still taken in such a horrible way.

"Every day that I wake up it feels like a violation. No parent should have to bury their child.

"It is the ultimate violation and I definitely feel that."

The court had previously been told that John and his son Taylor were extremely close, regularly training in the gym together.

But speaking to The Gazette just after the sentencing, John said that in the 18 months since his son's death, he has not been able to face going to the gym.