A MUSCLE man taking the bodybuilding world by storm is a convicted killer, we can reveal today.

Steven Taylor, 34, has been crowned Mr Pendle Valley and Mr North West and won the newcomers’ section of the Mr Britain competition.

But after he hit the headlines in last week’s Observer it came to light that he was jailed for five years for killing a father-of-seven outside an Accrington town centre pub in January 1999.

Taylor, who lived in Aitken Street, Accrington, at the time, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of doorman Raymond Hampson, 39, following the attack outside the Bees Knees in December 1997.

Mr Hampson’s family this week reacted furiously to Taylor’s high profile, saying he was disrespecting the memory of "our Ray".

His sister, who lives in Rossendale but did not want to be named, said: "I think it is absolutely disgusting that he is flaunting himself in the papers after what he has done.

"In my eyes he will always be the man who killed my lovely brother.

"He does not deserve to be able to get on with his life after he showed such little respect for someone else’s.

"A leopard can never change its spots and I really believe that.

"Taylor is not fit to be a role model for anyone. He probably learned this vain sport, if you can call it that, in prison and where is the justice in that?"

She added: "Ray was just our Ray. He was a gentleman who had a passion for working the doors. He loved working in Accrington and had been a doorman at the Bees Knees for about three years when he was killed.

"He loved his children dearly and was really well known in both Accrington and Rossendale.

"Taylor must have known that by showing himself off like this, he would be rubbing our faces in it. In my eyes he hasn’t changed.

"Bodybuilding is all about vanity and showing how strong and muscular you are."

Taylor, who is a former Mount Carmel High School pupil, told the Observer last week: "I got into bodybuilding 16 years ago as a way of getting off the streets and out of trouble."

He has just moved from Canal Street, Church, to Burnley with his wife and two children.

He trains at Accrington’s Central Gym and the Fitness Bank in Oswaldtwistle and in the run-up to competitions lives off a small bowl of porridge and seven meals of turkey and broccoli each day.

Told that his secret was out, he said: "I don’t know what I am supposed to do. Everyone has the right to change and I have changed for the better.

"I have apologised profusely many times and I stand by that apology but life must go on.

"The incident happened more than 10 years ago and I am now a very different person to what I was then.

"I didn’t mean what happened to happen but I can’t take it back and I am now just trying to make something of myself for my family."

The trial court heard that Taylor, who had served a previous jail term for violence, kicked and punched Mr Hampson to death after Taylor had been to a funeral earlier that day.

Another Accrington man was cleared after proving he had helped the victim and had not been involved in the attack.

Mr Hampson, who was buried at Haslingden Cemetery, was one of four siblings and had seven children Anthony, David, Chrissie, Mickey, Andrew, Damian and Karl.