Victim's DNA found in murder-accused's home

Paul Taylor’s remains were found in a shallow grave in woodland west of Carlisle

An army veteran's DNA was found on a bottle at the home of the man accused of murdering him, a court has heard.

Paul Taylor, from Annan in Scotland, was last seen by his wife, Maria, on 17 October 2023 - nine days before his 57th birthday.

His skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave in woodland west of Carlisle, Cumbria, in May.

Jack Crawley, 20, who is on trial at the city's crown court, has denied murder but admitted manslaughter and unlawful killing.

He has also denied a charge of attempted murder, relating to a separate attack in York.

Carlisle Crown Court previously heard Crawley contacted Mr Taylor on the dating app Grindr in July 2023.

Mr Taylor’s family were unaware of his sexual interest in men, it was said.

DNA discovery

A detective told jurors of "a significant find" under decking at Crawley's home in Sheehan Crescent in the city, following his arrest.

The court was shown an image of a clear plastic bag containing an orange-handled box-cutter knife and a bottle of the chemical liquid known as Pentyl, or "poppers".

Poppers, used recreationally by many gay men during sex since the 1970s, give an instant "high" when inhaled, usually from a bottle, and work as a muscle relaxant.

The bottle was identical to those purchased by Mr Taylor on three separate dates earlier in 2023 from a Carlisle sex shop, the court heard.

A forensic scientist said his findings provided "extremely strong support for the proposition that Paul Taylor is a contributor of DNA to the mixed DNA result obtained from the cap".

'Something stupid'

Jurors have seen a detailed timeline of events both before and after Mr Taylor’s disappearance, which has included data recovered from phones used by Crawley.

On 20 October, Crawley, a security night supervisor at Cumberland Infirmary, made an online search, later deleted, with the words "can you work abroad with an SIA (Security Industry Authority) badge?"

There were also several searches for county news website Cumbria Crack in the days after Mr Taylor went missing.

Analysis of one phone showed texts to Crawley from his mum.

"Listen son I know you’re getting caught up in something," she wrote.

In a second, she said: "If you get caught up in something stupid you will lose your licence and go to jail for arson. The sentences for arson carry ten years plus."

In a third text, his mum added: "And if you kill someone even more xx."

During one of several interviews with police, Crawley denied having any involvement in Mr Taylor's death.

He admitted previously being involved in the supply of cannabis and poppers.

A second man on trial, Marcus Goodfellow, 20, of Greystone Road, Carlisle, denies assisting an offender by helping to dispose of Mr Taylor’s vehicle.

The trial continues, and is due to resume on Monday.