A security worker accused of murdering a Scottish dad in Carlisle listened to the song ‘Romantic homicide’ and bought charcoal and lighters on the day of the killing, a jury was told.
Paul Taylor, 56, vanished from his home in Annan in Dumfries and Galloway shortly before midnight on October 17. The ex-army man’s remains were discovered seven months later, on May 2, in a shallow grave in the Finglandrigg Wood area off the B5307 near Carlisle.
Jack Ryan Crawley, 20, is on trial accused of murdering the dad. He is also accused of attempting to murder another man on the outskirts of York several weeks later. Marcus Goodfellow, also 20, is charged with assisting an offender.
The court heard, Crawley admitted to killing Mr Taylor after pleading guilty to manslaughter, however he denies murdering him, claiming that the death resulted from an attempted robbery that “went wrong”. Marcus Goodfellow, 20, is also on trial accused of assisting an offender.
David McLachlan KC set out the prosecution case at Carlisle Crown Court and claimed Goodfellow helped Crawley to dispose of Mr Taylor’s car after the killing.
Unbeknown to his wife and family, said Mr McLachlan, Mr Taylor had a sexual interest in men. He would meet other males for sexual activities at “hook-up locations” arranged via gay dating apps such as Grindr.
After work on the day of his disappearance, Mr Taylor visited a layby between Brampton and Carlisle, a known meeting place for gay men. He went home and was last seen by his wife on the evening of Tuesday, October 17, at 9.30pm.
“At 7.55pm, Jack Crawley listened to a song called Romantic Homicide,” said Mr McLachlan. The lyrics to this song include: ‘In the back of my mind I killed you, and I didn’t even regret it. I can’t believe I said it but it’s true; I hate you.’ At 8.39pm, he went to a local shop and bought a bag of charcoal and two lighters.”
The jury were told these would later be used to burn Paul Taylor’s body. The prosecutor said: “At 9.46pm and 9.48pm, Jack Crawley listened to Romantic Homicide again, twice. It is the prosecution case that Jack Crawley had murder on his mind.”
CCTV images recorded Mr Taylor’s Vauxhall Corsa leaving his home in Annan at 11.14pm before travelling into Carlisle. At 11.48pm, Mr Taylor’s mobile phone connected to a mast in west Carlisle.
A police investigation established there was no evidence Mr Taylor was alive after the early hours of October 18.
Mr McLachlan said that by the morning of October 18 Crawley had possession of Mr Taylor’s Vauxhall Corsa and took photos of it in Green Lane, Carlisle.
He then met Marcus Goodfellow, who had just finished a night shift as a security worker at The Cumberland Infirmary.
They walked to a nearby petrol station where Crawley withdrew cash and bought a fuel cannister, filling it with fuel worth £4.57.
They then went to Green Lane and collected the Corsa before driving it to towards Appleby, with Goodfellow helping with the driving and navigation. “It is the prosecution case that Marcus Goodfellow was assisting Jack Crawley in the disposal of Paul Taylor’s car,” said Mr McLachlan.
At 8.45am Jack Crawley crashed the Corsa in Langwathby. “The car could no longer be driven,” said the prosecutor. Goodfellow then made “concerted efforts” to arrange a lift back to Carlisle.
A friend picked them up. Once back in Carlisle, Crawley went online to research working abroad for those with a security industry licence.
The jury was then told about the defendant’s police interviews in November last year when Crawley denied any involvement in Mr Taylor’s death and went so far as to say he did not know him.
Join theDaily Record’s WhatsApp community hereand get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
In one interview, Crawley was asked about his sexuality, and his initial response was to say this was “way too personal” but he later said he was heterosexual.
When detectives asked him about his alleged comment that “somebody died tonight, somebody worse than Jeffrey Dahmer,” during the journey from Langwathby, he asked for an interview break.
When Goodfellow was interviewed, he said Crawley told him to get into the Corsa on the morning of October 18 and his friend’s driving was “terrible and unsafe.” He denied knowing Crawley was guilty of any arrestable offence.
Mr McLachlan said: “On May 1, 2024, Jack Crawley, through his solicitors, informed the police where Paul Taylor’s body was. Police have since recovered Paul Taylor’s skeletal remains.”
Twenty days after this, Crawley admitted “unlawfully killing” Mr Taylor, entering a guilty plea at the crown court to manslaughter.
The jury also heard an outline of what the prosecution say was the attempted murder of a man on the outskirts of York on January 5. This happened several weeks after Crawley was arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Taylor and released on police bail.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.