Man accused of Carlisle murder had listened to 'Romantic Homicide'

Jack Ryan Crawley, 20, also purchased a bag of charcoal and two lighters, which prosecutors say he used to burn the body of 56-year-old Paul Taylor before burying his corpse in a shallow woodland grave.

Crawley is on trial accused of murdering Mr Taylor and attempting to murder another man on the outskirts of York several weeks later.

The defendant has admitted killing Mr Taylor, pleading guilty to manslaughter; but he denies murdering him, claiming that the death resulted from an attempted robbery that “went wrong,” the court heard.

As he opened the case at Carlisle Crown Court, David McLachlan KC set out the prosecution case against both Crawley, of Sheehan Crescent, Raffles, and Marcus Goodfellow, also 20, who denies assisting an offender.

According to the prosecution, Goodfellow did this by helping Crawley – described as “his friend” - to dispose of Mr Taylor’s car after the killing.

Describing the circumstances leading up to the alleged murder, Mr McLachlan said that on the morning of October 17 last year Mr Taylor went as usual to his job as a catering manager at Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary.

Unbeknown to his wife and family, said the prosecutor, 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 October 17 last year, Mr Taylor visited a layby between Brampton and Carlisle, a known meeting place for gay men.

He arrived home at 8.30pm but left about an hour later – the last time his wife saw him alive. “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."

These would later be used to burn Paul Taylor’s body, the jury were told. 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.

“It’s the prosecution case that Paul Taylor was killed by Jack Crawley on October 17 or 18,” continued the barrister. “Belatedly, Jack Crawley admitted killing Paul Taylor.  However, as already stated, it’s the prosecution case that this was murder, not manslaughter.”

The barrister 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.

After this, the court heard, he met Marcus Goodfellow, who had just finished a night shift as a security worker at The Cumberland Infirmary.

They walked to the Esso Garage on Wigton Road, 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 that day, 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.

Mr McLachlan said: “En route back to Carlisle, Jack Crawley made admissions about someone dying connected to the crashed car. He further stated that the deceased person was worse than Jeffrey Dahmer, the American serial killer, as seen on Netflix and that the world was better without him.”

At this point, the jury heard, Goodfellow told Crawley to be quiet and tried to change the subject. The friend who was driving suggested taking them to the police station, but Goodfellow interjected, speaking against the idea.

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.

“This was obviously not true,” said Mr McLachlan.

In December, in another police interview, Crawley said he had rubber gloves in his bag because he needed them for his work at the hospital, so he could “calm, separate and assist people with injuries.”

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.

Asked for his views on homosexuality, he said: “It doesn’t really bother me. People can choose their sexuality; it’s up to them.

In February, in another interview, he told officers: “I have been involved previously in the supply of cannabis and poppers.

“Amongst other forums I have used Grindr to communicate with my customers. I have deleted numbers [and] applications previously to avoid detection for supply of the above. In the past, I have assisted Marcus Goodfellow to dispose of stolen cars.”

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 nothing about Paul Taylor’s disappearance, he said, describing Crawley as “giddy” and “excited.”

It was only after the Corsa was crashed that it dawned on him that the situation was “real,” he said. 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 from Finglandrigg Wood.”

Twenty days after this, Crawley admitted “unlawfully killing” Mr Taylor, entering a guilty plea at the crown court to manslaughter.

Mr McLachlan continued: “We anticipate that he will say he was trying to rob Paul Taylor’s car, and it all went wrong. The prosecution does not accept this.

“The prosecution case is that this was a premeditated murder; that Jack Crawley had murder on his mind and carried out his plan by killing Paul Taylor."

He then buried Paul Taylor's body in a shallow grave at Finglandrigg Wood, west of Carlisle [pictured below].(Image: Google)

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, of Sheehan Crescent, Raffles, Carlisle, was arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Taylor and released on police bail, with a condition to report to the city’s police HQ on three days per week.

After leaving the Carlisle home of his grandparents on New Year’s Eve, the court heard, Crawley travelled to Penrith, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and then York, where he visited a Tool Station outlet in the city.

Among other items, he bought a hammer.

Mr McLachlan said the defendant arranged via the Grindr website to meet a man at a remote location on the edge of York, where they engaged in sexual activity. It was during this that Crawley attacked the man with a hammer.

“Jack Crawley says he was acting in self-defence as [the other man] had threatened him with a knife,” continued Mr McLachlan. The prosecution say this was a “premeditated attempt to kill.”

Referring the possible use of a hammer to inflict fatal head injuries on Mr Taylor in October, Mr McLachlan suggested what happened in York was an “almost carbon copy” of what happened in Carlisle.

Crawley admitted possessing an offensive weapon - the hammer - on January 5; and he has also admitted burgling a property in York the next day, stealing clothing.

Mr McLachlan told the jury: "In simple terms, the issues for you in this case will be as follows: in relation to Carlisle and the death of Paul Taylor, was this murder or manslaughter?

"You know that Jack Crawley has pleaded guilty to manslaughter; you know that the prosecution do not accept this plea.

"The prosecution case is that Jack Crawley intended to kill - and that is precisely what he did. In relation to Marcus Goodfellow, was he there assisting Jack Crawley in getting rid of Paul Taylor's care? Did he know that Jack Crawley had committed an arrestable offence?

"In relation to York, was this self-defence or was this an almost carbon copy of what occurred in Carlisle? Jack Crawley taking a hammer to another man's head in an act of extreme violence, the prosecution say, is not self-defence."

The jury will begin hearing live evidence tomorrow.

Goodfellow, of Greystone Road, Carlisle, was granted bail until the trial resumes while Crawley remains remanded in custody.