Murder of Hertfordshire grandfather to feature on Sky Crime documentary

A complex police investigation into the disappearance and murder of a much-loved grandfather from Hertfordshire is to feature in a Sky Crime documentary this week.

William ‘Bill’ Taylor - a 69-year-old farmer living in Gosmore near Hitchin – was reported missing from his home on 4 June 2018.

Sky’s Killer In My Village, will look closely at the ensuing investigation which was carried out by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit.

The investigation became one of the most complicated in the unit’s history, involving vast numbers of police officers and numerous partner agencies in the UK and abroad.

Bill’s body was sadly found in a river in Hitchin on 10 February, 2019. His estranged wife Angela Taylor and her new partner Paul Cannon were found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In the documentary, viewers will hear from Detective Chief Inspector Carl Foster who led the investigation, along with interviews and voice recordings from Bill’s family and friends who are still coming to terms with the horror of what happened.

Most of the family do not feel ready to speak publicly about the ordeal but they are keen to stress that the impact of Bill’s murder is constant in their lives.

DCI Carl Foster, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: “The murder of Bill Taylor was callous and motivated by deep-rooted hatred and financial greed, despite Bill having gifted Angela Taylor considerable land and property.

“The investigation was incredibly challenging and securing the successful convictions of Angela Taylor and Paul Cannon required meticulous police work.

“The initial searching of Bill’s land alone took in excess of eight weeks to complete and was supported by police and volunteer resources from as far away as Merseyside and Devon and

Cornwall.

“The sheer volume of information, intelligence and evidence painstakingly gathered by our detectives and forensic teams took over six months to reach a point sufficient to secure a charging decision.

"The preparation of the case and disclosure to be trial-ready took almost a year on top of that.

"We did not lose a single legal argument at court which is testament to the professionalism of the entire prosecution team.

“While Angela Taylor and Paul Cannon are now rightfully facing justice behind bars, there is no doubt that Bill’s murder has left a huge void in his family and my thoughts remain with them as they try to rebuild their lives.”

Killer In My Village airs on Sky Crime at 9pm on Wednesday, December 30.