Jack Crawley has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for the ‘brutal and exceptionally severe’ murder of Paul Taylor.

In the sentencing hearing at Carlisle Crown Court on Wednesday, October 23, Mr Justice Goose called Crawley a “highly dangerous young man” as he sentenced him to a minimum of 36 years and 104 days for the murder of Paul Taylor.

In the personal statements Paul Taylor’s wife, Maria wrote that “Our lives and world were completely torn apart on the 18th of October, 2023, with the murder of Paul.”

“We had plans for growing old together and travelling Scotland, and hopefully becoming grandparents one day. This has all been taken away by Jack. Not only Paul’s life, but our hopes and dreams.”

While his daughter Beth wrote “This is a life sentence for us, for Jack’s actions, and should be a life sentence for him for what he has put us through.”

Jack Crawley met Paul Taylor, 56, in October 2023 and murdered the former army veteran with a hammer before trying to burn his body and then buried the remains in a shallow grave in Finglandrigg Woods with Justice Goose calling it ‘callous cruelty.’

Crawley then cleaned Taylor’s car before trying to sell it as Justice Goose called it a “murder for gain.”

Waiting until May 2024 Crawley informed Cumbria Police, through his solicitor where Paul Taylor’s body could be found.

At the sentencing Crawley was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for the attempted murder of a man in York in January while on bail.