A cannibal killer who murdered a man, chopped off a finger, cooked and ate it has been jailed for at least 23 years. Gabriel Brown, 35, carried out the “punishment” attack on Joseph Johnston, 58, at the victim’s home in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, in November 2024.
The body of Mr Johnston – known as Ernie – was later discovered in the burnt-out flat. Brown had never met his victim before, but Mr Johnston had previously been in a relationship with the thug’s stepmother.
Attack motivated by desire to punish
The ex-bouncer decided to target the man amid claims of what he had been told about their time together. Brown – a convicted sex offender previously jailed for offences involving young girls – was sentenced today at the High Court in Glasgow after being convicted of murder.
The killer’s lawyers had lodged a special defence that he was mentally ill at the time, reported The Daily Record. Brown claimed he had been possessed by the spirit of 19th-century occultist Aleister Crowley, who apparently told him to “take Ernie’s soul”.
Sentencing, Lord Mulholland told him: “This was a sustained, merciless and vicious attack on a defenceless man in his own home. It was motivated by a desire to punish the victim for what you believed had happened to your stepmother.”
Savage attack and cover-up
The trial heard how Mr Johnston and Brown’s stepmother had previously been together. She had at one stage pointed out to the killer where Mr Johnston lived and had also called him a derogatory name.
Brown – who had previously been diagnosed with mental health issues – had downed alcohol and smoked cannabis before he went to the victim’s home late at night. Mr Johnston allowed him in. They appeared initially to be getting on and even had a selfie taken together.
But inside the flat Brown carried out what was described as a “savage” attack. As well as the multiple stab wounds and cutting off a finger, the killer also carved letters onto Mr Johnston’s face.
In a cover-up bid, Brown started fires in four different areas of the property, including torching furniture, turning on cooker hobs and putting metal cutlery in a microwave. He also ripped out smoke alarms to prevent them going off.
Claim of possession
Brown fled the scene back to his stepmother’s home. He also texted another person that night making an accusation about Mr Johnston and adding “he sleeps forever”.
The body of Mr Johnston was later discovered in his charred kitchen. Brown claimed during the trial that he remembered 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, Brown stated: “I attribute it to Aleister Crowley. I put it down to possession. I have previous incidents which my friends have told me about.”
Questioned whose hand the knife was in, the killer added: “Aleister Crowley’s. We share a body. When removing the knife it was my hand.” Brown recalled hearing a “death rattle” and Mr Johnston bleeding heavily.
He went on to graphically describe what he did to the man’s left ring finger. He told the trial: “Later on I did something I would describe as a favour to him.”
Mr Ross: “What was that?” Brown: “I removed and consumed his finger.”
The sick murderer admitted he “cooked” the digit, but that “Aleister was going to take his soul”. Brown was arrested after being found sleeping in his stepmother’s attic.
Defence advocate Mr Ross today said what happened was a “terrible case richly deserving of punishment”. He added that Brown has been affected by mental health issues since he was a teenager but had not helped himself by “lapses” in taking medication.
