A security guard who fled down the M6 after brutally killing an army veteran and hiding his body in the woods has been found guilty by a jury.
Jack Crawley, 20, was today found guilty of murdering Paul Taylor following a trial at Carlisle Crown Court. He was also found guilty of the attempted murder of a second man.
The jury was told victim Paul Taylor, 56, left his home in Annan, Scotland on October 17, 2023. He travelled to Carlisle where he met with killer Jack Crawley who he had communicated with online.
Crawley met with Mr Taylor and fatally assaulted him. Crawley then placed his body out of sight in a nearby wooded area.
Crawley took possession of Mr Taylor’s car and attempted to sell it to different people without success.
Two days later Crawley collected Mr Taylor’s car from Green Lane, in Carlisle, and drove it towards Appleby down the M6.
Crawley crashed the car in the village of Langwathby and fled the area.
On 15 November 2023, Crawley was arrested. During his police interview, he gave a prepared statement saying he did not know Paul Taylor and refused to comment further.
Crawley was bailed whilst the investigation continued.
When the vehicle was recovered a large amount of blood was found inside and outside of the boot which was later matched to Mr Taylor.
Whilst on police bail, on 5 January 2024, Crawley travelled to York where he attempted to murder a second man by viciously attacking him with a hammer.
The man he attacked suffered wounds which were later glued at hospital.
Crawley was arrested in Bristol on February 2, 2024. During his police interview in relation to the incident in York, he claimed he was acting in self-defence when he hit the man with a hammer.
On 1 May 2024 Crawley told the police where to find Paul Taylors body, which was recovered from Finglandrigg Wood, near Carlisle. It was clear that attempts had been made to burn Mr Taylor’s body.
The postmortem confirmed at least 10 separate impacts on Mr Taylors head and two to his left arm. A specific cause of death could not be determined due to the passage of time but is likely to have been caused by blows to the head.
Katie Marsden, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Jack Crawley carried out vicious attacks on two men.
“The Crown Prosecution Service worked with Cumbria Constabulary and North Yorkshire Police to build a strong case, piecing together the forensic evidence, CCTV footage and phone location data to show that Crawley murdered Paul Taylor and attempted to murder a second man.
“My thoughts remain with Paul Taylor’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time. I can only hope that the verdict will give them some sense of justice.”
Crawley will be sentenced on 23 October 2024.
Source – Blackpool Gazette