Brian Waters murder: Christopher Guest More jailed for life

The 43-year-old, from Lymm, was yesterday found guilty of murdering the dad-of-two in front of his own children during a brutal four-hour ordeal at Burnt House Farm in Tabley in 2003.

He returned to Chester Crown Court for sentence today, Friday, and received a life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years.

Sentencing, Justice Peter Openshaw said: "Brian Waters was a loyal and devoted husband and father and his family will remember him as such.

"Because of drug deals that went wrong, Waters became indebted to John Wilson – a more ruthless criminal.

"He could not pay the £20,000 which was demanded of him, and Wilson was determined to make an example of him.

"Wilson discovered that Waters was likely to be at the farm on June 19 and planned and directed an attack on him.

"He put together a team consisting of James Raven, Otis Matthews, the defendant and others who have not yet been brought to justice.

"In my judgement, the attacks on both men were more than an attempted extortion with menace.

"The sustained barbarity and sadism of the attack was intended to deliver a clear message not just to Brian Waters but also to others – that if you crossed John Wilson and failed to pay what he considered was due, there would be very serious consequences."

The judge described how Mr Waters pleaded with his attackers to have his restraints eased as he could not breathe, but added: "It was too late to save him, and he died in front of his own children.

"I have no doubt that going on the run for 16 years, with warrants for his arrest in force, is a seriously aggravating factor.

"For, during all that time, the family of Brian Waters – and indeed Suleman Razak – were denied justice.

"The memory of their ordeal and witnessing their father’s murder is a burden which they must bear every day.

"It will cast a shadow over the rest of their lives."

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More was convicted of murder by a majority jury of 10 to two following a month-long retrial.

The 44-year-old victim was killed in a disused cowshed the farm, near to junction 19 of the M6 for Knutsford, on June 19 2003.

Mr Waters – who was operating the site as a cannabis farm – was hung upside down by his ankles, beaten with weapons and burned with melting plastic in front of his own children over a £20,000 drug debt before succumbing to his more than 100 separate injuries.

More, who was aged 25 at the time of the incident, was part of a gang who travelled to the site in the early hours and ransacked the grow before torturing Suleman Razak – who assisted in the operation of the cannabis farm – when he arrived at the scene at around midday.

He was punched and kicked in the face numerous times and knocked unconscious before being hung upside down by his ankles and lowered into a barrel which was filled up with water.

After being electrocuted, Mr Razak was burned with acid, had a pillowcase placed over his head and set on fire and was attacked with a staple gun.

It was then that Mr Waters arrived at the scene and was similarly set upon.

He too was lowered into the barrel of water and beaten with bamboo canes with such ferocity that they snapped, as well as being struck with a metal bar.

A bin bag was also suspended above his head and set alight, causing melting plastic to drip down onto his head.

His son Gavin and daughter Natalie, who had celebrated her 21st birthday the previous day, then arrived and were attacked – with the latter having the barrel of a gun placed in her mouth.

At the same time, the Waters’ family home in Nantwich was raided by two men who then transported the victim’s wife Julie to the farm.

But the assailants fled when the police arrived simultaneously, with officers discovering Brian Waters’ lifeless body in a milking parlour.

A Home Office post-mortem investigation recorded a cause of death of multiple injuries – including fractured ribs, a broken nose and breastbone, a bleed on the brain and bruising to the heart.

Evidence of strangulation was also found, while he had suffered burns to his back from a ‘caustic substance’ and had been attacked using the staple gun across his head and body.

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In a statement read out to he court on her behalf, Natalie Waters said: "My father was not a violent man.

"He was a hippy who enjoyed smoking cannabis and relaxing with friends.

"What happened has completely changed the life we led, and we have become insular.

"We had to move out of our family home and lived in constant fear of reprisals.

"We never knew if More would be arrested.

"Every single day, I have memories of what happened flash into my head.

"This can happen at any time, day or night.

"Whenever I think about my dad and try and remember happy childhood memories, I always see the image of him sitting in the chair in the barn suffering.

"I do not see an end to these flashbacks."

A statement from Mr Razak meanwhile described how he continues to suffer flashbacks of the incident 'nearly every day' and still has a number of physical scars as a result of his injuries.

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Several items discovered at the scene – including a bottle of Sprite, cigarette ends, a glove and human waste – revealed forensic links to More.

He returned his then home at Burford Lane Farm alongside co-conspirator Otis Matthews in the evening after the killing and flew to Malaga from Liverpool John Lennon Airport two days later.

More remained at large for nearly two decades before his capture in Malta two years ago, having been added to Europe’s most wanted list.

The former undercover TV researcher was living under the pseudonym of Andrew Christopher Lamb, a successful businessman and luxury yacht captain.

He was also found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Razak.

READ MORE: ‘We never gave up hope’ – Family statement as dad’s killer convicted 18 years on

A jury in a trial held earlier this year failed to reach a verdict.

Matthews, gang boss John Wilson and More’s cousin James Raven were previously convicted of Mr Waters’ murder following trials in 2004 and 2007 and were jailed for life.

Following today's sentencing, detective inspector Kate Tomlinson said: "This brings to an end a long journey for all those involved, and I hope that the conclusion of this case helps the family of Brian Waters and Suleman Razak to finally move forward with their lives knowing that Christopher Guest More Jnr has been brought to justice and is now behind bars for a very long time."