Murderer guilty of 'merciless' punishment attack on stepmother's ex

Warning: this story contains graphic content which some readers might find distressing

A murderer who stabbed his victim 22 times before setting his flat on fire in a south of Scotland town is facing a life sentence.

Gabriel Brown, 35, killed Joseph Ernest Johnston - known as Ernie - at the 58 year-old's home in Annan in November 2024.

He had denied murder with a special defence that he had been suffering from a mental disorder at the time but he was found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow after trial and will be sentenced next month.

During the trial the court heard that Brown had chopped off his victim's ring finger, cooked it and ate the severed digit.

Emergency services were called out to the blaze on Lady Street in Annan at about 06:55 on 19 November 2024.

Johnston's body was found inside and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Brown had never met his victim before - but he had previously been in a relationship with his stepmother.

The ex-bouncer decided to target the man over claims of what he had been told about their time together.

Brown - a convicted sex offender - was found guilty after a trial lasting nearly two weeks.

He denied the charge claiming he had been possessed by the spirit of 19th Century- born occultist Aleister Crowley, who had told him to "take Ernie's soul".

Jurors rejected his defence that he had been suffering a mental disorder and found him guilty of murder.

The trial was told that Johnston and Brown's stepmother had previously been together and she had at one stage pointed out where he lived and had called him a derogatory name.

Brown - who had been diagnosed with mental health issues when he was a teenager - had drunk alcohol and smoked cannabis before he went to the victim's home late at night.

Johnston allowed him in - they then appeared initially to be getting on and even had a selfie photo taken together.

However, Brown then carried out a "savage" attack on his victim, stabbing him repeatedly, and carved letters on to his face.

He then started fires in four different areas of the property including torching furniture, turning on cooker hobs and putting metal cutlery in a microwave and ripped out smoke alarms.

Johnston's body was later found in his charred kitchen.

Brown gave evidence during the trial claiming to remember taking a knife out of the victim, but had "no recollection" of putting the blade there.

Asked by his KC Thomas Ross how the weapon would have got there, he stated: "I attribute it to Aleister Crowley. I put it down to possession. I have previous incidents which my friends have told me about."

Brown later described how he had "removed and consumed his finger".

In cross examination, he refuted the accusation by prosecutor Eric Robertson that he had gone to "square up" to Johnston that night.

After the verdict, Lord Mulholland deferred sentence for reports but warned Brown he might never be released.

He said it had been a "sustained, vicious and merciless attack" motivated by a desire to punish his victim for what he believed had happend to his stepmother during their relationship.

He said removing Johnston's ring finger showed it was a "punishment attack".

Lord Mulholland said he was excusing jurors from further jury service for life due to the "harrowing and graphic" evidence they had heard.

Police Scotland welcomed the verdict and Det Insp Graeme Robertson described Brown's actions as "completely senseless and reckless".

"He will now face the consequences of his despicable actions," he said.

"While this verdict does not change the outcome, I hope it brings Joseph's family some form of comfort."