THREE men have been sentenced to a total of 51 years in prison for their role in the 'vicious and sadistic' killing of 14-year-old Jordan Watson.

George Thomson, 19, of Upperby Road, Carlisle, was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison - he will serve a minimum of 27 years.

Brahnn Finley, 19, of Furze Street, Carlisle, was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison, and will serve a minimum of 14 years.

Daniel Johnston, 20, of Petterill Bank Road, Carlisle, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

All three men denied murder.

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Jordan's body was discovered in the Manor Road cemetery, Carlisle, on June 16.

Pathologists found that he had been murdered the night before and the cause of death was multiple wounds to the head and neck, caused by a sharp object.

The court heard that Thomson's motivation for the killing was his obsession with Jordan's 14-year-old girlfriend and that he 'would stop at nothing to have her'.

Thomson, who had a large collection of knives at his home, lured Jordan to the cemetery on the pretence that he had a business deal for him, but he had been planning the murder 'for weeks', according to the police officer in charge of the case.

The jury at the four week trial, which took place at Carlisle Crown Court, heard that Finley owed Thomson money after 'ripping him off' in a previous drug deal and agreed to pay back his debt by helping Thomson out 'with a job' along with his best friend, Johnston.


Speaking after the trial, Detective Superintendent Andrew Slattery, who was the Senior Investigating Officer in the case, said: "Jordan Watson died as a result of a horrific attack which can only be described as savage and brutal.

"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 [Jordan] 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.

"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.


"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.

"I hope that today’s sentences give some satisfaction to Michael and Lisa Watson but I know that this has changed their lives forever. I would like to thank them for the patience and trust they have placed in the police and for the dignity they have shown during the course of the trial."

Jordan’s parents, Mike and Lisa, said the last seven months since the incident happened have been 'a living nightmare'.

In a statement, they said: "Jordan was full of fun and was loved by his family, particularly his younger sister who 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. 

"We are very grateful to the local community for their generous support and kindness since Jordan died.

"Getting justice for Jordan has helped restore our trust and faith in people again. No sentence will ever truly reflect the deep loss we feel for losing our child Jordan.

"We are relieved with the verdict given and believe that those responsible for the brutal and callous killing of our child have been brought to justice. Only now can we truly take the first steps in getting our lives back on track.

"We would like to thank everyone involved in bringing those responsible to justice."

Alisha Watson, Jordan’s sister, said: "The things I can remember about my big brother were going swimming, walking our dogs, Marley and Lucy, and having a snowball fight on the front when it had snowed.

"I am sad that my big brother isn’t here anymore. I miss him loads, I like to go visit him to light a candle for him so he is not on his own."