Police ScotlandWarning: This report contains details some readers may find distressing
A man who murdered his step-mum’s ex by stabbing him 22 times before torching his home, claiming he was possessed by occultist Aleister Crowley, has been jailed for at least 23 years.
Gabriel Brown repeatedly stabbed Joseph Johnston 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 stepmother.
The ex-bouncer decided to target the man amid claims of what he had been told about their time together.
Police ScotlandBrown – a convicted sex offender – was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow, having earlier been convicted of murder.
The killer’s lawyers had lodged a special defence that he was mentally ill at the time.
Brown told the court he had been possessed by the spirit of 19th-century-born 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.”
The trial was told 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. She had also called him a derogatory name.
Brown – who had been diagnosed with mental health issues when he was a teenager – had drank alcohol and smoked cannabis before he went to the victim’s home late at night.
Mr Johnston allowed him in – they then appeared initially to be getting on and even had a selfie photo taken together.
But it was in the flat that Brown carried out what was described as a “savage” attack on his victim.
As well as the multiple stab wounds and cutting off a finger, the killer also carved letters onto Mr Johnston’s face.
To try and cover up what he had done, Brown started fires in four different areas of the property, torching furniture, turning on cooker hobs and putting metal cutlery in a microwave.
He ripped out smoke alarms to prevent them from going off.
Brown fled the scene to his stepmother’s home.
He 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 burnt-out kitchen.
Brown gave evidence during the trial.
He claimed 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, 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.
Brown 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 asked: “What was that?”
Brown replied: “I removed and consumed his finger.”
The murderer admitted he “cooked” the digit, but that “Aleister was going to take his soul”.
The court heard Brown was arrested after being found sleeping in his stepmother’s attic.
In cross-examination, Brown refuted the accusation by prosecutor Eric Robertson that he had gone to “square up” to Mr Johnston that night.
After the verdict, it emerged Brown had previously been jailed for offences involving young girls.
Lord Mulholland previously told him: “This was a sustained, vicious and merciless attack on a defenceless man in his own home.
“It was motivated, in your own words, by a desire to punish the victim for what you believed had happened to your step-mum during her relationship with him.
“You brutally assaulted him with a knife, stabbing him at least 22 times, inflicting blunt force injuries and severing his finger.
“The fact that it was his ring finger is evident of your motivation that it was a punishment attack.
“Carving initials on his face is redolent of the extent of your savage attack.”
After Brown was taken back to the cells, Lord Mulholland said he was excusing jurors from further jury service for life due to the “harrowing and graphic” evidence they had heard.
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.
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