Killer John Taylor urged to say where wife Alethea's body is
An undertaker from the Shropshire border – jailed for life for the murder of his missing wife – was today urged by detectives to 'come clean' and tell them where he stashed her body.
John Taylor was told he must serve a minimum of 17 years after a jury at Worcester Crown Court yesterday unanimously
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The retired former primary school teacher, 63, was reported missing from her home in Orleton, near Ludlow, by Taylor on January 19 last year and has not been seen since.
The five men and seven women on the jury agreed with the prosecution's assertion that Taylor, who had been having an affair, saw his wife as an 'obstacle' to his future happiness and killed her before disposing of the body. Police praised the verdict at the end of the five-week trial – but insisted the investigation into Mrs Taylor's death would go on until she was found.
Detective Inspector David Williams, of West Mercia Police, led the investigation and said he was 'satisfied' Taylor had been convicted of a 'terrible crime'.
But he added: "We still need to find Alethea's body so that her family and friends can lay her to rest and grieve for her properly.
"This has been a complex and challenging investigation, but it is not over yet. We will not rest until we find Alethea and I would urge Mr Taylor to do the right thing and tell us where she is so that those who loved her can have closure and peace of mind.
"Taylor owes it to the community he deceived into searching for her – even though he knew that she was dead – to come clean."
See video footage of Alethea Taylor in the days before she went missing here
The call for Taylor to reveal the location of his wife's body was echoed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which successfully brought him to justice.
David Elliott, sector crown prosecutor for West Midlands CPS, said Taylor 'spun a web of lies' to try and avoid justice but praised the jury for seeing 'through his deceit' and finding him guilty of murdering his wife.
He added: "John Taylor is a deceitful man and he has been found guilty of murdering his wife."
Downfall of a murderer: Special report in today's Shropshire Star
