Sword killer Telford to serve at least 25 years

By JOHN ROBERTSON
Published on 09/03/2013 01:03

A MAN who carried out a brutal murder with a sword and then set fire to his victim’s body has been told that he will serve at least 25 years in jail.

Derek Telford, 31, inflicted more than 30 wounds on James Kerr, 34, including some after death. He also hacked off an ear and shouted: “Can you hear me now?”

A court heard that Telford was “not bothered” when he saw reports of the killing on television, and had even laughed.

Lord Brailsford jailed Telford, of Glasgow, for life and set 25 years as the minimum term he must serve before he became eligible for parole.

It is among the longest sentences in Scotland for murder, where a “standard” minimum term would be around 14 years.

Alexina Lavery, 60, of Renfrew, the dead man’s mother, welcomed the sentence. She said: “No length of sentence will ever bring my son back, but at least Telford is off the streets and it will save some other mother going through what we have.”