Killer attacked man with hammer during night out and buried his body - then tried to sell the victim's car

A 20-year-old killer who attacked a man with a hammer during a hook-up before burying his body in the woods and trying to sell a car covered in his victim's blood has been jailed for 27 years.

Jack Crawley made the 'premeditated and unprovoked' attack on Paul Taylor, 56, after the pair met on October 18, 2023. They had initially interacted online before agreeing to come face to face in Carlisle.

The cold-blooded killer then buried Mr Taylor's body in a shallow grave near to a burn site in Finglandrigg Wood before trying to sell his victim's car. When he was unable to do so, he attempted to drive the car, a blue Vauxhall Corsa, to Appleby- but crashed and fled the scene/

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Police were initially called on the evening Crawley and Mr Taylor met with a report that the 56-year-old was missing from his home address in Annan and hadn’t been seen since the previous evening.

An extensive investigation uncovered CCTV showing that Mr Taylor had travelled into Carlisle in the early hours of that day and never returned home. His car was later found abandoned where Crawley had crashed it in Langwathby on October 19.

He was arrested in November 2023 but denied knowing Mr Taylor, and was eventually released on police bail. But he attempted a similar horrific act in January of this year, where he attempted to murder a second man with a hammer. The victim was rushed to hospital, where his wounds where glued.

The killer was charged with murder on February 15 - but it was not until May 1 when he finally told detectives where he had buried Mr Taylor’s body.

Following the sentencing the judge, The Honourable Mr Justice Goose said