February 2016
Three man jailed for murdering 14-year-old schoolboy
A knife-obsessed man who murdered a 14-year-old boy whose girlfriend he was infatuated with has been jailed for life, along with his accomplice.
George Thomson and Brahnn Finley, both 19, were both convicted of Jordan Watson’s murder on Friday.
The body of the teenager, who was subjected to a “brutal and sustained” attack, was found in Upperby Cemetery in Carlisle on 15 June.
A third man, Daniel Johnston, was found guilty of manslaughter on Monday.
He was jailed for 10 years, while Thomson and Finley were given minimum terms of 27 and 14 years respectively.
At their trial at Carlisle Crown Court, which lasted four weeks, all three men denied murder. Johnston was cleared of murder but convicted of the lesser charge.
The trial heard Thomson was infatuated with Jordan’s then 14-year-old girlfriend and that he would “kill anyone for her”.
He was obsessed with knives and a cache of almost 70 weapons was found at his home, including a bloodstained Gurkha knife.
Finley and Johnston were present during the murder and there to “lend support” to Thomson, the trial heard.
The trial had heard Jordan had suffered at least nine deep wounds to his head and neck which were likely to have been caused by a sharp-bladed instrument.
They were also told Thomson had an “obsessive desire” for Jordan’s girlfriend and wanted to Jordan “out of the picture”.
After sentencing Jordan’s parents, Mike and Lisa Watson, said the past seven months had been “a living nightmare”.
They added: “Jordan was full of fun and was loved by his family, particularly his younger sister which he was very protective of. We have our own special memories of Jordan which no one can take away from us.
“For the past seven months we have had so many unanswered questions. Every day we question why the life of our 14-year-old child was taken in such a cruel and violent way. We will never see our child grow up and live a full life.
“No sentence will ever truly reflect the deep loss we feel for losing our child Jordan.”
Det Supt Andrew Slattery of Cumbria Police added: “For anyone to die in these circumstances is appalling, but this pre-meditated murder was carried out on a small 14-year-old boy.
“As teenagers do, he looked up to adults as role models and one of those was George Thomson who befriended him. Thomson encouraged Jordan to visit him at home and showed off his collection of weapons.
“He told him exciting stories about his money-making schemes and promised him money in return for helping him with his illicit business. Jordan would have been excited about the prospect of earning what would have been to him huge sums of money.”
Mr Slattery said Thomson’s friendship with Jordan was “a sham” and he would “stop at nothing” to have the boy’s girlfriend for himself.
Thomson, Johnston and Finley posed for a selfie shortly before Jordan was killed
Cumbria Police released a photo of the trio taken in Thomson’s bedroom on the night Jordan was killed.
Mr Slattery said Finley knew Thomson and owed him money after “ripping him off” in a drug deal.
Mr Slattery added: “Finley agreed to pay his debt by helping Thomson out with a job that needed doing and so he took his best friend Daniel Johnston along too.
“That job, which Thomson had planned for weeks, was the murder of Jordan Watson at the cemetery in Upperby.
“Jordan left his home that night in good spirits, no doubt looking forward to spending his money but he never returned. He was murdered in a vicious and sadistic attack which shocked the whole community.”
February 2016
Man found guilty of murdering 14-year-old schoolboy
A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a 14-year-old love rival in a “brutal and sustained” attack in a cemetery.
The victim, Jordan Watson, was found with serious injuries to his head and neck after being lured to the cemetery in Carlisle, Cumbria, in June last year.
George Thomson, 19, was convicted of murder on Friday after a jury at Carlisle crown court heard that he had developed an “obsessive desire” for Jordan’s girlfriend.
The jurors at were told that Thomson’s desire for the 14-year-old girl “festered and grew in intensity” before he decided he wanted Jordan “out of the picture”.
Thomson was said to have lured the schoolboy to the cemetery on the evening of 15 June with an “almost certainly fictional” arrangement to sell some weapons to another man.
When police later searched Thomson’s home they found under his bed a large Gurkha knife with blood on it. Officers also found an “unusually large” quantity of at least 70 knives and weapons including a machete and a cleaver, the court heard.
Simon Medland QC, prosecuting, told jurors during the trial that Jordan’s girlfriend received an “abusive” Facebook message at 11.45pm, purporting to be from Jordan ending their relationship. However, it was Thomson who sent it; Jordan was already dead.
A postmortem examination of Jordan found at least nine deep wounds, at least one of which had gone through his neck tissues to his spine.
The jury reached a unanimous verdict on Thomson. They have not yet reached verdicts on Thomson’s co-defendants, Brahnn Finley, 19, and Daniel Johnston, 20, who it is alleged were present during the murder to “lend support” to Thomson.
Finley and Johnston, both of Carlisle, deny murder. The jury resumed its deliberations after the trial judge, Mr Justice Green, said he could now accept majority verdicts of at least 10-2.
The trial heard Thomson was infatuated with Jordan’s then 14-year-old girlfriend and that he would “kill anyone for her”.
The prosecution said Jordan was subjected to a “brutal and sustained attack”, which left him with “terrible injuries” to his head and neck.
It is alleged Mr Brahnn Finley and Mr Johnston were present during the murder and there to “lend support” to Thomson.
