A cannibal killer who murdered a man and then set fire to his flat has been jailed for at least 23 years. Gabriel Brown stabbed Joseph Johnston 22 times during a "punishment" attack at the 58-year-old's home in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, in November 2024. Brown, 35, also chopped off the victim's ring finger, cooked it, and ate the severed digit.
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 killer's step-mother. The former bouncer decided to target the man amid claims about their time together.
Sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow
Brown, a convicted sex offender, was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after being convicted of murder. His lawyers had lodged a special defence that he was mentally ill at the time. Brown claimed he had been possessed by the spirit of Aleister Crowley, a 19th-century-born occultist, 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 step mother."
Details of the attack
The trial was told how Mr Johnston and Brown's step-mother 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 going to the victim's home late at night. Mr Johnston allowed him in, and they initially appeared to be getting on, even taking a selfie together.
But in the flat, Brown carried out what was described as a "savage" attack on the victim. 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.
Brown's claims in court
Brown fled the scene back to his step-mother'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.
During the trial, Brown claimed 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, telling the trial: "Later on I did something I would describe as a favour to him."
Mr Ross asked: "What was that?" Brown replied: "I removed and consumed his finger." The murderer admitted he "cooked" the digit, but said "Aleister was going to take his soul". Brown was arrested after being found sleeping in his step-mother's attic.
Brown had previously been jailed for offences involving young girls. Defence advocate Mr Ross said what happened was a "terrible case richly deserving of punishment". He added Brown has been affected by mental health issues since he was a teenager, but had not helped himself by "lapses" in taking medication.
