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A 20-year-old man has been found guilty of bludgeoning an army veteran to death and hiding his body in Cumbria woods.

Paul Taylor, 56, disappeared while driving from Scotland to England in October last year, with his remains later found in woodland near Carlisle in May.

Jack Crawley, a 20-year-old security guard, had met Mr Taylor on 17 October 2023 in Carlisle. They had communicated with each other online.

The Vauxhall Corsa Mr Taylor had driven was found abandoned in Langwathby days later.

Cumbria Constabulary launched a murder inquiry but did not find the body until May when Crawley, who had been arrested two months earlier, told police where to find Mr Taylor in the Finglandrigg Wood area west of Carlisle.

Paul Taylor. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Image:
Mr Taylor. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary

According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), attempts had been made to burn Mr Taylor’s body.

Crawley was convicted of Mr Taylor’s murder on Monday.

During the trial at Carlisle Crown Court, Crawley, from Carlisle, had admitted manslaughter but denied murder. He claimed Mr Taylor’s death was the result of a car theft gone wrong.

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Taylor had been struck on the head at least 10 times. The victim also had two injuries on his left arm.

Paul Taylor. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Image:
Mr Taylor. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary

The CPS said: “A specific cause of death could not be determined due to the passage of time but is likely to have been caused by blows to the head.”

According to court reports during the trial, jurors heard how Crawley and Mr Taylor had met previously for sex, unbeknownst to the victim’s family and wife.

The court also heard how while out on bail for killing Mr Taylor, Crawley attacked a second man with a hammer after meeting up with him via dating app Grindr in January.

He was found guilty of the attempted murder of that man in North Yorkshire.

Paul Taylor's Vauxhall Corsa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Image:
Mr Taylor’s Vauxhall Corsa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary

Katie Marsden, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Jack Crawley carried out vicious attacks on two men.

“The Crown Prosecution Service worked with Cumbria Constabulary and North Yorkshire Police to build a strong case, piecing together the forensic evidence, CCTV footage and phone location data to show that Crawley murdered Paul Taylor and attempted to murder a second man.

“My thoughts remain with Paul Taylor’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time. I can only hope that the verdict will give them some sense of justice.”

Mr Taylor’s family said their “lives and world were completely torn apart” by the murder, in a statement released through Cumbria Constabulary.

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“To us, he was a husband and a dad, gentle and loving,” they added.

“For many years Paul worked to protect his country giving up time being a husband and father. Now was the time for us to be that family unit and we grieve the loss of that and of our future.

“Losing Paul in these circumstances and the torment and hurt this has caused has been horrendous and indescribable.

“Paul will be dearly missed and he will remain in our thoughts forever.”

Detective Superintendent Jonathan Sygrove, who led the investigation for North Yorkshire Police, said Crawley was the force’s suspect “from the outset” following the attempted murder.

DS Sygrove added: “While my colleagues in Cumbria have praised the dignity of Mr Taylor’s family during this awful ordeal, I’d also like to recognise the actions of the victim from North Yorkshire who had the courage to come forward after he was attacked.

“I hope today’s verdict brings some closure to him and all others whose lives have been changed forever by Jack Crawley.”

Crawley will be sentenced on Wednesday.

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IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

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IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

All flights were halted at Edinburgh Airport this morning due to an IT issue affecting its air traffic control provider.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airport later announced service had resumed.

Its post read: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.

“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”

But passengers continue to feel the effects.

A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Edinburgh was diverted to Dublin after going into a holding pattern over the Scottish capital.

And a live arrivals board on the airport’s website showed multiple flights diverted, delayed and cancelled.

Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport
Image:
Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport

Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were due to fly easyJet from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on their first trip away together.

Morven told Sky News: “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an announcement that it had been cancelled.

“I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together. We are just gutted and stressed.”

Follow live: Latest updates as flights halted

Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA
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Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA

One passenger was on a plane when they found out.

They said: “We boarded our flight and pushed back on time for an 8.45 (am) departure, then sat for a while before the pilot told us what was happening.

“He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant at handing out water etc, and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat. But then you do wonder how long for, just been told we’re hoping to be in the air in 20 minutes.”

Another passenger told us: “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were halfway through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air traffic control down.

“No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding, with no reason. I suspect problems started about 9am.”

It comes after an earlier announcement that all flights had been halted.

“No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” the previous statement said.

“Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.”

There was no timeframe for recovery initially, Sky News learned.

It’s understood by PA that the issue was not linked to today’s Cloudflare outage.

Edinburgh Trams also posted on X, writing: “If you’re travelling with us to @EDI_Airport this morning, please be aware that flights are not currently operating.”

The airport urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on flights.

An average of 43,000 passengers per day use the airport, which is served by 37 airlines flying to 155 destinations.

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

The police watchdog says it is investigating after a teenager who was tasered by an officer on a motorway was fatally hit by a car.

Logan Smith, 18, was being taken to hospital in an ambulance at about 11pm on Sunday when the vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the M5 in Somerset.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the vehicle stopped on the northbound carriageway “due to the concerns of ambulance staff”.

Mr Smith got out of the ambulance near the junction for Weston-super-Mare and “entered the live lanes of the motorway”, the watchdog added.

Police were called and an officer arrived at the scene, with bodycam footage showing the officer discharging their Taser, causing the teenager to fall to the ground.

“Soon afterwards” Mr Smith was struck by a car travelling on the southbound carriageway, the IOPC said.

The watchdog said it was investigating the “actions and decisions taken by Avon and Somerset Police prior to the death of a teenager”.

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “My thoughts and sympathies are with Logan’s family and friends and everyone affected by this shocking and tragic incident. 

“We want to reassure everyone that we will independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the use of a Taser.

“After being notified by the force, we sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.

“We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved.

“We met with Logan’s family on Tuesday, to give our condolences, explain our role and to provide some further detail about our investigation, including a Taser being discharged during the incident.

“We will continue to keep them updated and they request that their privacy be respected at such a difficult time.”

The coroner has been informed and formal identification and a post-mortem have taken place.

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

A former doctor has been charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients in his care.

Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.

It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.

Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre
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North Staffordshire Justice Centre

Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: “We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor – including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.

“Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”

Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.

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