Paul Culshaw | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Paul CULSHAW

A.K.A.: "The Shoelace killer"

Classification: Murderer

Characteristics: Rape

- Sex offender

Number of victims: 1

Date of murder:

June 15,

2004

Date of birth: 1969

Victim profile:

Clare Benson-Jowry, 23

Method of murder: Strangulation

with a shoelace tightened by a fork

Location: Lancaster, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom

Status: Sentenced to life in prison on February

10, 2005. Died in prison on February 3, 2013

Paul Culshaw (born 1969) is a British convicted murderer and sex offender.

In 2005, he was found guilty of murdering Clare Benson-Jowry, who had died in 2004.

After his trial, it was revealed that Culshaw had previous convictions for crimes including rape, attempted murder and indecent assault.

On 23 February 2008, The Times reported that Culshaw was one of around 50 prisoners who had been issued with whole life tariffs and were unlikely ever to be released from prison.

Shoelace strangler Paul Culshaw dies after collapsing in Frankland Prison, Durham

By Gavin Engelbrecht

Saturday, February 9, 2013

A MAN who strangled a young mother with a shoelace has died after being found collapsed in his cell at a North-East high-security prison, it has been revealed.

Killer Paul Culshaw had been was told by a judge that he would never be released from prison after a jury unanimously found him guilty of the sexually-motivated killing Clare Sabear Benson-Jowry.

The 45-year-old from Penrith, Cumbria, was found collapsed in his cell at Frankland Prison, Durham City, on Tuesday.

He was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, but died early Wednesday – apparently of natural causes.

A jury sitting at Preston Crown Court in February 2005 was told that Ms Benson-Jowry was last seen alive entering the block where Culshaw lived on Austwick Road, Lancaster.

Ms Benson-Jowry was described as an attractive and well-liked young woman, with a drug addiction she had tried to overcome.

Several weeks after her disappearance police found her near-naked remains in a bedroom. She had been strangled with a shoelace tightened by a fork.

Culshaw, who had a previous conviction for attempted murder was told by Mr Justice Hughes: “The overwhelming likelihood is that you killed her to stop her revealing the very serious sexual assault you carried out on her.”

Culshaw, who had lived in Penrith with his wife and lived rough near the town while on the run, had denied murdering the 23-year-old claiming he panicked on finding her dead.

He had previous convictions, including one for rape. He was jailed for three-and-a-half years for the crime in 1985.

Then in 1988, he carried out an attempted murder and indecent assault of a woman, for which he received 10 years.

A Durham Police spokesman said today: “We can confirm that Paul Culshaw was found collapsed in his cell.

“He was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, where he died later the same day.

“Police do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: HMP Frankland prisoner Paul Culshaw was taken to an outside hospital at about 7pm on Tuesday February 5.

“He was pronounced dead at 3.40am on Wednesday.

"He is presumed to have died from natural causes. A post mortem will follow.

"As with all deaths in custody, the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation."

'Shoelace killer' faces life term

BBC News

Thursday, 10 February, 2005

A man who strangled a young mother with a shoelace has been told to prepare himself for life in prison.

Paul Culshaw, 37, from Penrith, was convicted of the sexually-motivated murder of 23-year-old Clare Benson-Jowry in Lancaster.

Her near-naked remains were found in a flat at Austwick Road on the city's Rylands estate on 15 July 2004.

On Thursday, the judge at Preston Crown Court told Culshaw, of no fixed address, "life must mean life".

'Hidden danger'

Mr Culshaw has a previous conviction for rape, carried out when he was 18, and was also jailed for 10 years for the attempted murder and indecent assault of a woman in Skelmersdale.

Mr Justice Hughes told him: "It was a violent and determined decision to kill.

"The overwhelming likelihood is that you killed her to stop her revealing the very serious sexual assault you carried out on her.

"You are a person who is an enormous danger to other people and chiefly to women, and whose danger lies hidden most of the time."

The jury heard that Culshaw allowed drug users to frequent the flat and that Ms Benson-Jowry had been a visitor and casual acquaintance.

She was last seen alive in June 2004, calling at the block where he lived.

When her body was discovered the following month, she had been strangled with a shoelace.

Killer will spend the rest of his life in jail

Liverpool Echo

February 17, 2005

A killer who had already been convicted of two sex attacks will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Paul Culshaw, who lived in Skelmersdale before being jailed for the attacks, was found guilty of murdering a young mother.

After the verdict at Preston crown court, Mr Justice Hughes said: "You are a person who is an enormous danger to other people. Life in your case must mean life."

During the murder trial, the jury was told Paul Culshaw's victim, Clare Sabear Benson-Jowry, 23, was last seen alive entering the block of flats where he was living in Lancaster. She was strangled with a shoelace tightened by a fork.

Culshaw, now 37, denied murder, claiming he panicked on finding her dead.

The court heard that, as an 18-year-old, he raped a 43 - year- old woman in her home at Up Holland.

For that offence, he was given a 42-month sentence.

Then in 1988, he was jailed for 10 years for the attempted murder and indecent assault of a Skelmersdale woman.

Clare Benson-Jowry was strangled with a shoelace.