A 20-year-old man has been found guilty of bludgeoning an army veteran to death and hiding his body in Cumbria woods.
Paul Taylor, 56, disappeared while driving from Scotland to England in October last year, with his remains later found in woodland near Carlisle in May.
Jack Crawley, a 20-year-old security guard, had met Mr Taylor on 17 October 2023 in Carlisle. They had communicated with each other online.
The Vauxhall Corsa Mr Taylor had driven was found abandoned in Langwathby days later.
Cumbria Constabulary launched a murder inquiry but did not find the body until May when Crawley, who had been arrested two months earlier, told police where to find Mr Taylor in the Finglandrigg Wood area west of Carlisle.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), attempts had been made to burn Mr Taylor’s body.
Crawley was convicted of Mr Taylor’s murder on Monday.
During the trial at Carlisle Crown Court, Crawley, from Carlisle, had admitted manslaughter but denied murder. He claimed Mr Taylor’s death was the result of a car theft gone wrong.
A post-mortem examination showed Mr Taylor had been struck on the head at least 10 times. The victim also had two injuries on his left arm.
The CPS said: “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.”
According to court reports during the trial, jurors heard how Crawley and Mr Taylor had met previously for sex, unbeknownst to the victim’s family and wife.
The court also heard how while out on bail for killing Mr Taylor, Crawley attacked a second man with a hammer after meeting up with him via dating app Grindr in January.
He was found guilty of the attempted murder of that man in North Yorkshire.
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.”
Mr Taylor’s family said their “lives and world were completely torn apart” by the murder, in a statement released through Cumbria Constabulary.
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“To us, he was a husband and a dad, gentle and loving,” they added.
“For many years Paul worked to protect his country giving up time being a husband and father. Now was the time for us to be that family unit and we grieve the loss of that and of our future.
“Losing Paul in these circumstances and the torment and hurt this has caused has been horrendous and indescribable.
“Paul will be dearly missed and he will remain in our thoughts forever.”
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Detective Superintendent Jonathan Sygrove, who led the investigation for North Yorkshire Police, said Crawley was the force’s suspect “from the outset” following the attempted murder.
DS Sygrove added: “While my colleagues in Cumbria have praised the dignity of Mr Taylor’s family during this awful ordeal, I’d also like to recognise the actions of the victim from North Yorkshire who had the courage to come forward after he was attacked.
“I hope today’s verdict brings some closure to him and all others whose lives have been changed forever by Jack Crawley.”
Crawley will be sentenced on Wednesday.
