The racist killer jailed for the murder of 18-year-old Anthony Walker is set to walk free after 17 years in prison.
Michael Barton, half-brother of footballer Joey Barton, ambushed Anthony in a sickening racist attack as he walked his girlfriend Louise along with his cousin Marcus to a bus stop on July 30, 2005.
All three were chased into a park by thugs who hurled racist abuse at them.
Louise and Marcus were able to escape but Anthony’s life would be taken away as he died in hospital after suffering fatal injuries when an ice axe was embedded into his skill.
Barton's 20-year-old cousin, Paul Taylor, had smashed it into Anthony’s head and was ordered to serve 23 years and eight months in prison.
But now, 34-year-old Michael who was also found guilty of murder is set to walk free.
Michael was ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years before parole which was reduced by one year after an appeal in the High Court in 2016.
This was on the grounds that judges noted a "remarkable transformation" in his outlook and conduct.
The panel concluded: "After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was satisfied that Mr Barton was suitable for release."
Anthony's mother had previously explained her attitude towards her son's killers, saying: "I have to forgive them. I can't feel anger and hatred, because that is what killed my son".
However, his girlfriend Louise felt that both men involved were “evil” and that the trauma of losing Anthony meant that she still text him on the day they were found guilty.
She said: "I hate them for what they have done. Anthony and I shared something special.
“Now he has been taken away from me by those two evil young men. I still feel that he (Anthony Walker) is around.
“Yesterday, I sent Anthony a text and just told him he (Barton) had been found guilty. It seemed the natural thing to do."
Anthony’s mum Gee Walker, found out her son had been attacked after coming back from choir practice at church.
When she arrived at the hospital she asked the doctors to see him but they were reluctant.
Eventually they allowed her but she passed out from the horror of seeing him in the state he was in as she said the “images are locked away" in her "mind.”
Speaking to the Mirror she said: “The scene that greeted me was horrific and I passed out. No wonder they hadn’t wanted me to see him.
“The images are locked away in my mind but I will say that no mother should ever have to see their child in that state.”
At the time, she added that the justice system was a “laughing stock” and that “life doesn’t mean life.”
Gee said: “Those men are due to be released soon, free to carry on with their lives while my son had his life snatched away from him without a care.
“I believe our justice system is the laughing stock of the world – life definitely doesn’t mean life.
“But I choose to forgive because living a life of hate is so destructive.”
