Brothers get life for Stockport shooting and decapitation

Two Stockport brothers have been given life sentences for shooting dead a man, decapitating him and setting his body on fire.

John Grainger, 33, was shot before his headless body was found in Wellington Street, Stockport, on 26 January. His head was found by firefighters.

At Manchester Crown Court, Joseph Jenkins, 30, who denied murder, was ordered to serve a minimum of 32 years.

Anthony Jenkins, 34, pleaded guilty and must serve a minimum of 30 years.

Mr Grainger was hit on the head with a hammer, stabbed in the legs then shot in the knee and in the head at Joseph Jenkins's flat in Covent Gardens, Stockport.

His was decapitated with an electric jigsaw in the bathroom, the jury heard during the trial.

During the trial of Joseph Jenkins, the court heard the brothers used a can of petrol to set Mr Grainger's body alight in nearby Wellington Street.

His body was found on a verge by fire crews tackling a blaze close by.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the brothers had been stopped by officers in the area because they were acting suspiciously.

Anthony Jenkins was found to have six shotgun cartridges in his pocket and blood on his trainers.

The shotgun said to have been used to kill Mr Grainger was found the next day under a parked car, close to where both had been stopped in the street, the jury heard.

Senior investigating officer Andy Tattersall said: "The Jenkins brothers put Mr Grainger through a horrifically violent and cruel attack before shooting him. What followed was nothing short of macabre."