Paul Taylor drove towards his death as he met a killer with murder on his mind, a jury has heard.
Jack Crawley, 20, is on trial at Carlisle Crown Court. Crawley admits manslaughter and unlawfully killing Mr Taylor, a 56-year-old married dad-of-two, early on October 18 last year.
Crawley, then 19, denies his murder and also the attempted murder of a man aged in his 50s during a sexual encounter between the pair in York on January 5.
It is the prosecution case that Crawley used a hammer to attack Mr Taylor with at least 10 heavy blows to the head and face.
Crawley says he did use unlawful force to assault Mr Taylor — who had a sexual interest in men and led a double life — amid a botched car-jacking, but claims that death was caused as he fell and hit his head.
During the past fortnight, a jury of six men and six women have heard evidence in the case which concluded on Friday.
Trial judge, Mr Justice Goose, today gave legal directions to jurors, asking them to consider all evidence calmly and dispassionately,, putting emotions aside.
Prosecutor David McLachlan KC, delivering his closing speech, began by saying to jury members that the case “will live with you for ever, for the rest of your days”.
“This is a case about real people and real events,” said the prosecutor. “You are the jury in a murder trial, in relation to Carlisle, and an attempted murder trial in relation to York.
“When you say it simply, like that, you will appreciate that it really doesn’t get any more serious than that. You are not going to forget this.”
“It is about real people and about how lives can be destroyed and turned upside down by the actions of others. What matters in this case is your view of the evidence and your common sense.”
Evidence, he alleged, pointed to a case of premeditated murder, and he suggested: “The case is that Jack Crawley had murder on his mind and he carried out that plan by killing Paul Taylor.”
CCTV footage showed Mr Taylor’s car leaving his family home in Annan, bound for Carlisle. At exactly the same time, a phone alarm activated on the mobile phone of Crawley, of Sheehan Crescent, Carlisle, who several times that evening had listened to a song called Romantic Homicide on Spotify. The pair met soon after.
“In essence he drove towards his death,” the prosecutor suggested of Mr Taylor, alleging: “The prosecution say that Paul Taylor was killed by multiple blows to the head by a hammer or hammer-type weapon which was being wielded by Jack Crawley.”
Defence barrister Toby Hedworth KC, told jurors during his closing speech that Crawley and his legal team would not be asking for him to be excused.
“The death of Paul Taylor was obviously a terrible thing. The way in which is body was thereafter dealt with was worse still,” he said.
Crawley, he acknowledged, had done a great many bad things but eventually also one good thing by telling police where Mr Taylor’s remains were located.
“This was the action of a decent man who, for whatever flaws he had, wanted to do right, albeit very much later than he should; but do right by Mr Taylor’s family,” said Mr Hedworth.
He asked jurors to apply to Crawley the tests applied to all accused people in courts. The prosecution had to prove their case so that the jury was sure of guilt on the charges brought.
“Put another way: satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt,” explained Mr Hedworth, who concluded by asking: “Might it be that the mallet was used by Mr Crawley after he (Mr Taylor) was already dead? Might it be that Jack Crawley used the hammer (in York) towards (the other man) when seeking to defending himself?”
A second defendant, 20-year-old Marcus Goodfellow, of Greystone Road, Carlisle, denies assisting Crawley to dispose of Mr Taylor’s car.
After speeches conclude with one given on Goodfellow’s behalf tomorrow, Mr Justice Goose will sum up evidence to jurors before they retire to start considering their verdicts.
