Murder inquiry Pc earns honour

A Shropshire police officer has received an official commendation for his expertise in tyre marks which helped bring to justice a crack addict who murdered a father-of-two.

Constable Chris Taylor gave vital evidence at Stafford Crown Court during the trial of Craig Dunn, 33, who had denied killing 42-year-old Neil Powell at Ironbridge Bypass last year.

The jury heard the pair, both from Woodside, Telford, had been high on crack cocaine when they had a furious row during which Dunn stabbed Mr Powell in the stomach.

As Mr Powell tried to make his escape down the deserted bypass, Dunn chased him in his car and mowed him down, breaking both his legs and dragging him under the vehicle.

Dunn then revved his engine, reversed back over him and stabbed him more than 20 times.

Dunn was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars after the jury convicted him of murder in May, following a 13-day trial.

Constable Taylor, who was based at Shrewsbury and is recently retired, was part of West Mercia Police's 40-strong Operation Yeti team which investigated the killing.

A specialist collision investigator, he told the jury tyre marks at the scene showed the car had used harsh acceleration and deceleration and had clearly been driven over something.

He received his commendation for "demonstrating professionalism and expertise by examining and then explaining the evidence found at a complex crime scene".