Hammer killer smirks as he's charged with Paul's murder

Evil Crawley burned victim's body before burying it in wood | Second man was also attacked on date but managed to escape

- RUTH SUTER

HAMMER killer Jack Crawley smirked as he was charged with the brutal murder of a Scots dad he met up with for sex.

Crawley, who was 19 at the time, lured Paul Taylor from his home in Annan to a secluded spot near Carlisle on October 18 last year.

Callous Crawley then bludgeoned Paul, 56, to death with a hammer before torching his body and burying his remains in a nearby wood.

The cold-blooded killer could be seen smirking at Carlisle police station as officers confronted him about his crime.

Evidence also emerged that Crawley had referenced US sex offender and murderer Jeffrey Dahmer following Paul's death leading prosecutors to suggest he had an obsession with serial killers.

Last night Paul's family spoke about the pain of losing the much-loved Army veteran.

In a statement released through Cumbria Police, they said: "Our lives and world were completely torn apart on the 18 October 2023 with the murder of Paul.

"To us he was a husband and a dad, gentle and loving.

"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" A Court heard how Paul met men for sex and hid his double life from loved ones.