Norman & Joseph Jones

Case overview

Norman Jones and Joseph Jones were convicted and jailed for life for the abduction, torture and murder of John Finney. The killings involved hacking off John Finney’s head and cutting off his hands, and his buttocks were slashed. John Finney’s head and hands were never found, and his naked remains were found behind a garage block.

People

• Norman Jones (50) — offender; grandson of Charlie Kray; former son-in-law of Charlie Kray (as described in the case summary); convicted with Joseph Jones.
• Joseph Jones (24) — offender; son of Norman Jones; convicted with Norman Jones.
• John Finney (42) — victim; landscaper and scrap metal dealer; abducted and murdered.
• Mark Curran (28) — cleared of murder.
• Gary Lattimore (40) — cleared of murder.
• Charlie Kray (died aged 73 in 2000) — Charlie Kray was identified as the elder brother of gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie; he died while serving a 12-year sentence for his part in a drugs plot.

Timeline

• February 1 2008 — Shots were fired near John Finney’s home as a bid to intimidate him.
• February 29, 2008 — John Finney was dragged from his car at gunpoint at around 7pm in Northaw.
• Two weeks later — John Finney’s naked remains were found behind a garage block.
• March 16, 2008 — A public discovery of John Finney’s headless body and removed hands was reported.
• May 1, 2008 — The Joneses were arrested in Marbella.
• May 12, 2009 — Norman Jones and Joseph Jones were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court.

Background

Norman Jones and Joseph Jones were linked to Charlie Kray, described as the elder brother of gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie. Charlie Kray died aged 73 in 2000 while serving a 12-year sentence for his part in a drugs plot.

Norman Jones claimed he made his fortune from horse racing and property development in Spain, while police suspected he made his fortune through crime. The case described John Finney as a scrap metal dealer and as a well-known and respected member of the travelling community. John Finney had been living with his girlfriend in a caravan at Park Farm, Northaw Road West, Northaw, Hertfordshire.

A consignment of drugs went missing from a vehicle at a farm where John Finney lived. John Finney was suspected of being responsible for the missing consignment, but police said he was innocent. The Joneses wrongly accused him of stealing their drugs.

The offence

The case described a revenge plot by Norman Jones and Joseph Jones after a consignment vanished from a vehicle at a farm where John Finney lived in Northaw, Herts.

John Finney received death threats involving a mystery caller demanding the “gear” and warning “a lump of lead would be put in him” and that he could end up “in a box”. The threats included the use of “dirty” mobile phones, and the case said death threats were used to support the plan to abduct and kill John Finney. The case also described a dry run of the plot before the kidnapping.

On February 29, 2008, John Finney was abducted at around 7pm, dragged from his car at gunpoint. He was taken about 30 miles in a van to a business unit in Hertfordshire. He was interrogated, tortured and killed.

After the killing, the Joneses cleaned an industrial unit twice, and spots of John Finney’s blood were found on a wall. Two weeks later, John Finney’s naked remains were found behind a garage block. His buttocks had been slashed. His head and hands were never found. The police thought he may have been shot in the head.

A rented shack was also described as being used during the murder. John Finney was taken to a specially rented shack in Knowl Piece, Wilbury Way, Hitchin, and murdered.

The case described a van used to abduct John Finney that was later torched. Keys fitting a truck driven by John Finney were found in the Joneses’ torched van.

Investigation

The case described detectives from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit continuing investigations, including extensive searches of the area and house-to-house inquiries.

A post-mortem had been carried out, and the investigation continued with further examinations planned. At the time of the March 16, 2008 report, police said they had been unable to determine a cause of death.

Arrest and early custody

After fleeing to Spain after the killing, Norman Jones and Joseph Jones were arrested in Marbella on May 1, 2008.

Joseph Jones claimed he was playing poker on the night of the murder. Norman Jones said he had never met John Finney.

Trial

A jury found Norman Jones and Joseph Jones guilty of murder.

The trial described the prosecution position that John Finney had been shot in the head, and that wounds on his body indicated he had been tortured. Mr William Harbage QC, prosecuting, asked the jury to conclude that John Finney had been shot in the head and that wounds on his body indicated torture, and said:

“Mr Finney seriously upset some thoroughly unscrupulous and ruthless people. This was a callous, cold-blooded, pre-meditated execution of a man against whom they bore a grudge."

Sentencing

Norman Jones was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court to a minimum of 33 years, and Joseph Jones was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years.

The sentencing judge was Mr Justice MacDuff. He told them:

"You are both evil men. You lack any semblance of humanity."

The judge also said:

"You are both evil men with nothing to commend you. “You committed a meticulously planned murder. You decided summarily to execute a man who you thought, rightly or wrong, probably wrongly, had crossed you. "It is difficult to comprehend how evil you are. You lack any semblance of humanity."

Mr Justice MacDuff said he was “close to tears” after reading a family impact statement from the murdered man’s father. He also said:

“You have subjected the Finney family to unimaginable grief, the loss of a proper man and man of real worth."

The sentence meant Norman Jones would not be eligible to apply for parole until he was 83.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

• Norman Jones — convicted of murder; sentenced to life in prison on May 12, 2009; minimum 33 years.
• Joseph Jones — convicted of murder; sentenced to life in prison on May 12, 2009; minimum 30 years.
• Mark Curran — cleared of murder.
• Gary Lattimore — cleared of murder.
• A fifth person was believed to also have taken part, and police were trying to identify the person.

Aftermath

After the verdict, John Finney’s family said:

“The past year has been so very hard for us as a family. We have had to try to understand why a loving son and father was taken from us in such a brutal way and come to terms with this immense loss in our lives. “We have been helped by the support shown by many kind-hearted people around us and we would like to thank them. “But nothing can replace John and he will continue to remain so very much in our thoughts and prayers.”

Statements and quotes

Detective Chief Inspector Bill Jephson, who led the investigation, said:

"John was the victim of a calculated and pre-planned, savage attack. We will never fully understand the motive for such brutality and only those individuals responsible for John's death will know exactly what happened to him. “John was a well-known and respected member of the travelling community, and his death has had a profound impact. I am extremely grateful for their support and cooperation over the last year and for respecting the investigation.”

Patrick Fields of the Crown Prosecution Service said:

"This was a painstaking enquiry into a particularly brutal and grisly execution of a man who had done nothing wrong."

During the investigation, Det Ch Insp Bill Jephson was quoted saying:

“This was a targeted attack and while investigations to trace those responsible are well under way, I would urge any witnesses to come forward. “If you have any information about John’s disappearance I would ask that you contact police. I am also appealing to people living in Ickleford or anyone who has passed through the area in the last two weeks and believes they have seen anything suspicious, or if they have any information to assist with our investigation, to contact the incident room. “This is a very traumatic time for John’s family, our thoughts are with them and we would ask that their privacy be respected at this time. “I would also like to once again reassure the Ickleford community that this was not a random attack and that they should feel safe to continue their daily routine."

A local woman was quoted saying:

“It’s awful and gruesome. I can’t believe this has happened here because it’s a really quiet area.”

The Rev Margaret Holford, of St Katherine’s Church in Ickleford, told The Comet:

“A lot of people are affected because a lot of people live close to where it was found. I’ve had phone calls from people who are a little upset, but nothing too distressing. “Whenever everyone gets helicopters circling over the house for a good half hour and the noise is enormous, people don’t like to think what it might be and as soon as the news came out the police were very reassuring and have behaved admirably.”

Other details

John Finney had used his truck a few weeks earlier to help tow another vehicle out of a mud-filled ditch at the farm, which had links to the killers. The case said the Joneses purchased the van used to abduct John Finney, and the dirty mobile phones were also described as being used during the planning and intimidation.

The police were unable to confirm or deny rumours that the body had been at the site for a fortnight at the time of reporting.