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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Sally McGrath murder: Paul Taylor found guilty | Sally McGrath murder: Paul Taylor found guilty |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A 60-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering a Peterborough woman more than 30 years ago. | A 60-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering a Peterborough woman more than 30 years ago. |
| Former soldier Paul Taylor, of Fareham, Hampshire, was charged with the murder of Sally McGrath, 22, after a cold case review which started in 2009. | Former soldier Paul Taylor, of Fareham, Hampshire, was charged with the murder of Sally McGrath, 22, after a cold case review which started in 2009. |
| Her body was found in a shallow grave in woodland at Castor Hanglands, Cambridgeshire, in March 1980. | Her body was found in a shallow grave in woodland at Castor Hanglands, Cambridgeshire, in March 1980. |
| Taylor was also convicted of sex attacks, including rape, on three other women in the months before the murder. | |
| Miss McGrath was last seen alive on 11 July 1979 at a Peterborough hotel with Taylor, Chelmsford Crown Court heard. | Miss McGrath was last seen alive on 11 July 1979 at a Peterborough hotel with Taylor, Chelmsford Crown Court heard. |
| The jury found Taylor guilty of murder following 23 hours of deliberation. | The jury found Taylor guilty of murder following 23 hours of deliberation. |
| He was also found guilty of three counts of rape, one attempted rape and a serious sexual assault, which were all committed in the months leading up to Miss McGrath's murder. | He was also found guilty of three counts of rape, one attempted rape and a serious sexual assault, which were all committed in the months leading up to Miss McGrath's murder. |
| The offences related to three different women. | The offences related to three different women. |
| 'Womanising' builder | |
| Taylor was only charged with Miss McGrath's murder last year following a fresh three-year investigation. Earlier inquiries had failed to gather sufficient evidence against him. | |
| By the time he was re-arrested, Taylor had built a new life away from Peterborough where, his trial heard, he had been known as a "charismatic and womanising" builder. | |
| The ex-soldier moved to Fareham, Hampshire, with his wife Beverley where the couple ran a fish and chip shop and raised a family in the town. | |
| Det Supt Jeff Hill, who led the latest investigation, said: "As a result of this inquiry we have already considered what other offences may have been committed by Taylor. | |
| "Given the nature of the offending there is every chance similar crimes have occurred that we just quite simply don't know about. | |
| "As such, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that there are further victims of rape and other serious sex crimes who have never reported matters to the police." | |
| 'Compelling evidence' | |
| Mr Hill said the passage of time complicated the cold case investigation, but the team decided there could be witnesses who could help prove Taylor's involvement. | |
| "Raking up events of over 30 years ago for friends and relatives of Sally was particularly difficult," said Mr Hill. | |
| "Many of Taylor's victims had to relive horrendous experiences which they had pushed deep into the back of their mind." | |
| He added: "We were delighted when those key witnesses not only provided us with a comprehensive recall of the offences going back to the 1970s, but also provided us with additional compelling evidence of the events at that time." |