Man jailed for murdering ex's son

A spurned lover has been jailed for life for murdering his former partner's teenage son in revenge when she ended their relationship.

Gerard Tony Paul, 46, was described in court as "bitter and twisted", and blamed undergraduate Michael Jones, 18, for the romance turning sour.

He inflicted 116 injuries on the teenager, who was found at his home in Edmonton, north London, in March.

Paul, from Enfield, was told he would he would serve at least 24 years.

The judge at the Old Bailey, John Bevan, told Paul the "brutal and remorseless" attack was an act of vengeance on a boy whom he considered an "obstacle".

Victim tied up

Paul's year-long relationship with Kathleen Kirby-Jones had ended a month before the murder, the court heard, and it was Ms Kirby-Jones who found her son's body.

He was discovered in a room they used as an office. He had been bludgeoned and brown parcel tape had been wrapped around his wrists, hands, knees and ankles.

"You were playing with Kathy Kirby-Jones's emotions and lying to her. I think you were after her money and Michael was an obstacle"
Judge John Bevan

Ms Kirby-Jones, who worked as a personal assistant in a hospital, then heard footsteps in the flat, in Stanley Road, and so barricaded herself in the room.

Paul tried to force the door open before fleeing.

The civil servant, who was responsible for a child protection database at the Department for Children, Schools and Families, was branded a coward by police.

"He wanted me to say I loved him," Ms Kirby-Jones told the court. "He wanted more than I was prepared to give."

She said Michael felt "uncomfortable" around Paul, whom she asked to visit less often.

However, Paul was "not happy" about this, she said, and "complained frequently".

Judge Bevan told Paul he was "boastful and a compulsive liar".

"You were playing with Kathy Kirby-Jones's emotions and lying to her," he added.

"I think you were after her money and Michael was an obstacle."

Michael was studying geography at Queen Mary College within the University of London and had wanted to be a town planner or a teacher.

His mother said in a statement given to the court that Michael had been a role model for other black youths.

"He was a high achiever, winning many accolades," Ms Kirby-Jones said.

"In times where there are so many negative images of black male youths, he was such a positive role model."

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