Three jailed for killing 14-year-old 'love rival' Jordan Watson in cemetery

Three men convicted of killing a 14-year-old boy in a cemetery posed for a selfie before the “brutal and sustained attack”.

Three jailed for killing 14-year-old 'love rival' Jordan Watson in cemetery

Three men convicted of killing a 14-year-old boy in a cemetery posed for a selfie before the “brutal and sustained attack”.

George Thomson, 19, Brahnn Finley, 19, and Daniel Johnston, 20, posed for the sick picture hours before victim Jordan Watson was lured to Upperby Cemetery in Carlisle, Cumbria, where he was stabbed to death.

The pictures, which Cumbria Police released following conviction of the three men, were taken in Thomson’s bedroom.

Thomson, of Upperby Road, Carlisle, who had an “obsessive desire” for Jordan’s 14-year-old girlfriend, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years for murdering his teenage love rival.

His co-defendant Finley, of Furze Street, Carlisle, was also jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years after he was unanimously convicted by a jury of murdering Jordan.

Johnston, of Petteril Bank Road, Carlisle, was found guilty of his manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison after being cleared of murder.

Thomson was said to have lured the slightly-built, 4ft 11in schoolboy to the cemetery on the late evening of June 15 last year with an “almost certainly fictional” arrangement to sell some weapons to another man.

Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Superintendent Andrew Slattery, described the attack as “savage and brutal”, adding it had been the largest murder investigation that the force had carried out for more than five years.

He said: “For anyone to die in these circumstances is appalling, but this pre-meditated murder was carried out on a small 14-year-old boy.

“Jordan was an ordinary 14-year-old boy, like hundreds of others growing up in Carlisle. To his family though he wasn’t ordinary, he was unique, he was their son and brother and they loved him.”

He added that Jordan had “looked up” to Thomson who had befriended him and encouraged Jordan to visit him at home where he showed off his collection of weapons.

When police later searched Thomson’s home they found a large Gurkha knife, with blood on it, under his bed.

Also recovered from his bedroom was an “unusually large” quantity of knives and weapons including a machete, a cleaver, a stun gun, a replica rifle and a block of knives next to his bed, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Mr Slattery added: “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.

“But George wasn’t Jordan’s friend; he had an obsession with his 14-year-old girlfriend and would stop at nothing to have her for himself. George’s friendship with Jordan was a sham but Jordan trusted George and felt comfortable with him, alone, at night in a secluded place.”

Finley had agreed to pay off a debt owed to Thomson by helping him carry out the killing along with Johnston .

Mr Slattery added: “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.

“Together we have finally achieved what the Watson family and their friends wanted all along which was justice for Jordan.”

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