A killer who stabbed a teenager he met on Grindr to death has been jailed for 24 years.
Brian Healless, 18, arranged to meet Alex Davies after the pair exchanged messages on dating website Grindr.
They discussed meeting in person, with Healless telling Mr Davies: “We can cuddle, just not in public, go to a more discrete spot….I’m not out yet and like to be discrete about it.”
Detective Sergeant Ian Derbyshire told Preston Crown Court he believed the statement "I’m not out" was Healless explaining he had not told people he was gay.
Mr Davies, from Skelmersdale, was openly gay, while the court was told Healless was interested in males and females, reports the Liverpool Echo.
They arranged to meet in Parbold on April 29, 2019 - 19 days after Healless searched Google for how much force was needed to break a skull.
The day before the murder, Healless asked Mr Davies what type of mobile phone he had - then researched how to wipe the data from that model.
He also sought information on how to create fake GPS locations.
The teenager then took a knife with him as he cycled from his Chorley home to Parbold, in West Lancashire.
When he found Mr Davies after initially struggling to meet him, Healless stabbed him 128 times in a horrific attack.
Forensic pathologist Dr Alison Armour told jurors several of the wounds were severe enough to have proved fatal, and many of them were inflicted while Mr Davies was still alive.
Mud found in his mouth suggested he was also still alive as he was dragged towards a row of trees, with a post mortem finding the cause of death was multiple stab wounds and asphyxia.
udge Brown: “It was a planned and pre-meditated killing and although the motive will never be known it seems you were intent on having his hi-spec phone.
You were messaging him on Grindr and Instagram for the purpose of meeting him at a remote location.
“You were undoubtedly setting him up to kill and you are a manipulative, calculating and devious person.
“You made a Google search about the phone before the meeting and stole it immediately after the killing. You took the other phone and Samsung Galaxy watch, a set of headphones and a leather wallet, a rucksack as well and not long after you had returned home you re-registered and factory reset the two phones."
Judge Brown continued: “In my judgement you are a cold blooded killer and this was a most brutal murder.
“Alex was a kind-hearted, gentle and hard-working young man who would never have harmed anyone.
“You lulled him to his death and executed the killing in a savage way.
“You stabbed him to death with a knife at least 128 times and many of the wounds were inflicted when he was still alive.
“Many of the wounds caused damage to major blood vessels and internal organs. There were also 17 puncture wounds to his body as well.
“You punched him to his head and face, causing considerable bruising and multiple fractures to the nasal bone.
“You used considerable force to sever and fracture certain ribs.”e.
