Jack Crawley, 20, sentenced to life in jail for murder of 'loving dad' Paul Taylor with hammer

A man has been jailed for life for the murder of a “gentle and loving dad” who went missing from Dumfries and Galloway.

Jack Crawley was sentenced to a minimum term of 37 years in prison on Wednesday at Carlisle Crown Court for the murder of Paul Taylor in October 2023, as well as the attempted murder of another man.

The 20-year-old admitted in court to the manslaughter of Mr Taylor during a ‘robbery gone wrong’, however a jury found him guilty of murder.

Crawley was also received a 15-year sentence to be served concurrently for attempted murder following a separate incident in North Yorkshire in January 2024.

Police were initially called on October 18, 2023, after Paul Taylor was reported missing after leaving his home in Annan the day before.

An extensive investigation was launched by Cumbria’s Major Incident Team which uncovered CCTV showing that Mr Taylor had travelled into Carlisle in the early hours.

The 56-year-old’s car was later found abandoned in Langwathby the next day.

Paul Taylor was murdered by the 20-year-old. Cumbria Police

The investigation revealed that Crawley and Mr Taylor were known to each other, and that Crawley had met Mr Taylor and attacked him with an object, thought to be a claw hammer or mallet, resulting in his death.

Crawley then disposed of Mr Taylor’s body by burying him in a shallow grave near to a burn site in Finglandrigg Wood, near to Carlisle.

The next day, Crawley attempted to sell Mr Taylor’s car, a blue Vauxhall Corsa, with photos of the vehicle being recovered from Crawley’s phone.

However, he crashed the car in Langwathby while attempting to drive it to Appleby, before fleeing from the scene.

On May 1, Crawley led police to where he had buried Mr Taylor’s body.

Jack Crawley was found guilty of his murder following a two-week trial at Carlisle Crown Court.

In a statement released following the verdict, Mr Taylor’s family said their lives and worlds have been “torn apart”.

Following the sentencing the judge, The Honourable Mr Justice Goose, said that Crawley was a “highly dangerous young man”.

Detective superintendent Ian Hussey, the senior investigation officer, said: “I am pleased that our investigation has resulted in justice for Paul and his family.

“Paul was the victim of a premediated and calculated attack by Crawley who arrived to meet Paul prepared to commit a serious act of violence.

“Paul’s body was then taken to a remote woodland near Carlisle and hidden in undergrowth with Crawley only finally admitting where he’d concealed Paul’s body several months after he’d been charged with murder.

“From the very start of this, Crawley has lied about his actions – from initially denying even knowing Paul, to later denying he murdered him, instead concocting a story around self-defence.

“Today, Crawley is behind bars where he rightly belongs, and he will now spend a considerable amount of his adult life in prison.

Police paid tribute to Mr Taylor's family following sentencing. — Police paid tribute to Mr Taylor’s family following sentencing. Police Scotland

“I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Paul’s family and friends for their loss.

“I can only imagine what they have had to go through over the past year and an I would like to commend them for remaining dignified and composed throughout the whole investigation and trial, despite being forced to hear some shocking and hurtful evidence.

“Again, I would finally like to thank all the officers, staff, prosecuting counsel the Crown Prosecution Service and our Crown Prosecution colleagues whose hard work on these investigations has allowed us to successfully prosecute Crawley for his crimes and get justice for Paul’s loved ones.”