A “vile” man who killed his unborn baby by attacking his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend has lost his appeal against a life sentence.
Teaching assistant Kevin Wilson, 23, was convicted of child destruction and causing grievous bodily harm to Malorie Bantala at the Old Bailey in December 2015.
Wilson was later jailed for a minimum of 16 years after a judge heard that he took matters into his own hands after Miss Bantala refused to have an abortion.
Judge Mark Lucraft said it was "'a cowardly, vile, callous attack", which resulted in the healthy 32-week-old boy being stillborn, and Miss Bantala needing life-saving surgery.
At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, three judges said that a life sentence was justified, but reduced the length of the minimum term by two years to 14.
Mr Justice Spencer said it was an "unspeakably wicked act".
He added: "Here was a young man who was prepared to take the steps he did in a calculated and cold-blooded way to achieve his objective, because there was an obstacle in his way."
On the day of the assault, in June 2015, Miss Bantala had been buying decorations for her baby shower.
As she returned to her flat in Peckham, south-east London, Wilson and accomplice, Taffari Grant, emerged from bushes disguised in crash helmets.
They kicked and stamped on Miss Bantala's stomach as she lay curled up on the ground, desperately trying to protect her unborn child with one hand.
Miss Bantala, who lost six pints of blood and broke two fingers, immediately told police her child's father was responsible, saying: "He doesn't want the baby."
She described her innocent son, Joel, as the "real victim".
"The moment Joel died inside me I lost everything literally. Life as I knew it no longer made sense."
MORE ABOUT