A CARJACKING attempt went wrong and led to the death of Annan dad Paul Taylor, the man accused of his murder today claimed.
Jack Crawley, 20, from Carlisle, described how he punched Mr Taylor who fell to the ground.
But he said he had never intended to kill him or cause serious bodily harm.
On day six of the trial at Carlisle Crown Court, the accused took to the witness box and told the jury how the pair met late on the night of Tuesday October 17 in Prior Rigg Lane, Carlisle.
And he said his intention was to steal Mr Taylor’s blue Vauxhall Corsa to use in criminal work.
As the 56-year-old approached him at the meeting point, Crawley punched him in the face and he fell to the ground.
He punched him twice more and the dad-of-two fell.
“He sort of tripped over his own feet and fell into the side of the car. He then bounced onto the floor, the concrete,” he said. “He started making snorting noises.”
Noticing Mr Taylor had gone quiet, Crawley checked for his pulse but couldn’t find one and realised he was dead.
He claimed to have tried CPR but “panicked” and went to run away, adding: “I kept just pacing. I didn’t know what to do.”
After attempting to clean up blood on the ground with grass and twigs, he put the body in the car boot and ran home.
He returned later to move it to Finglandrigg Woods, where he tried to burn it then break it up with a mallet, hoping it would “crumble”.
“I wanted to get rid of his body I was scared,” he said.
“I just wanted it all to be over.
“It didn’t work, I could not stand the smell anymore, I kept being sick, I kept passing in and out of consciousness.”
Finally, he dragged the remains to a bushy area and attempted to hide it in vegetation. He never went back to the wood.
Crawley, who at times was in tears while giving evidence, has admitted manslaughter but pleaded not guilty to murder.
The trial continues tomorrow.
