The murder of Taylor Williams shows that buying drugs is not a victimless crime, according to a senior councillor.

Cllr Simon Bound, who is deputy leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, said communities are "right shocked" when a drugs-related crime happens in their area.

18-year-old Taylor Williams was stabbed to death by Olamide Soyege in a property in Shooters Way on August 31, 2019.

Mr Williams had been representing a county lines drugs network known as Ray, and had agreed to meet Soyege and co-defendant Terence Maccabee, who was found guilty of manslaughter.

READ MORE: County lines drug dealer who murdered teenager in Basingstoke given life sentence

Soyege and Maccabee, however, had planned to rob them and when Mr Williams stood up for himself, a fight ensued and he was stabbed five times, including in the heart.

Now, Cllr Bound has said that he hopes that the life sentence 29-year-old Soyege was handed, of which he will serve at least 32 years, will act as a deterrent to young people getting involved in drugs.

Speaking to the Gazette, the Rooksdown representative said: "I think any case like this is a complete tragedy.

"There is something about young people at such a young age being engaged with county lines and organised crime through drugs, the criminalisation and these are just sentences for those who exploited young people.

"This case shows us how it can go tragically wrong.

"I hope as much as they can, severe sentences like this will act as a deterrent or help both adults and family members support each other to take more positive choices.

"It is very dangerous. Those people who think drugs that they purchase is a victimless crime, this sort of case shows that it is not.

"It damages all sorts of people in different ways."

READ MORE: Family of murder victim speak out after killer is sentenced

Additionally, the police officer who led the investigation into the murder said that he hopes "the reality of Taylor's death will make other young people think twice about getting involved in this brutal trade".

Detective Inspector Lee McClellan said: “This has been a challenging and complex case but the ultimate outcome is that Taylor Williams has tragically lost his life as a consequence of getting caught up in the dark and violent world of County Lines drugs networks.

“Taylor was only at the start of his young life and this tragedy will impact forever on the lives of his friends and family.

"We can only hope that the reality of Taylor’s death will make other young people think twice about getting involved in this brutal trade.

“I would like to thank the tenacity of the investigation team who worked tirelessly to bring this case before the courts.”

During the trial in November, The Gazette reported the humiliating side to being a county lines drug dealer.

Wraps of class A drugs are concealed in the mouths of runners, and more intimate areas, when they go to meet addicts in neutral locations, a court has heard.

Winchester Crown Court heard that in the altercation that led to his death, Williams and his associates were asked to squat so that an intimate search of the anus and testicles could be carried out by the accused.

After Soyege and Maccabee entered the flat, they locked the door behind them, whilst Miss Taylor "kept watch on the street".

“The only reason for locking that door is to prevent the Ray boys leaving, or anybody else entering to interrupt what was happening," Ms Jones told the court.

Soyege and Maccabee made a cautious approach into the room, according to Ray network representative Prince Orefo, who is listed on the indictment as one of the victims of the robbery.

After Maccabee had asked if they had any cannabis, Soyege allegedly pulled out a knife and put it to Orefo's throat. Orefo then described how he patted down his trouser pockets and took their phones.

Ms Jones, concluding her case on Thursday afternoon, summarised Orefo's earlier evidence: "[Soyege] had the cheek to tell us to squat.

"He was asking to see up our bum and around our balls."

But, according to Ms Jones, when Taylor Williams got up and pushed Soyege, a fight ensued that led to the fatal stabbing of the teenager.

"You have seen Soyege try to weaponise embarrassment during this trial," she told the jury.

"He was scaring or shaming those three boys from ever returning, they would be too scared of him to return again.

"Mr Williams was trying to avoid being shamed and robbed, and the punishment of his defiance rained down on him immediately."