A model who lured a man to his death with "booty messages" is among six jailed for life for his murder.
Coral Edgar, 26, used the promise of sex to lure Lee McKnight, also 26, to her home before he was subjected to a two-hour violent attack, a court heard.
Lee was left looking like a “torture victim” all because of an unpaid £2,000 drug debt, the judge was told.
Carlisle Crown Court was told how Lee sold cocaine and cannabis and owed money to Jamie Davison, 26, who was a ‘middle-man’ in the alleged half million pound a year operation.
Jamie persuaded Coral to lure Lee with "booty messages" on Snapchat, so that Jamie could “make an example of him” after he had gone into hiding, the court was told.
Coral invited Lee to her home at around 2am on July 24 last year, when he arrived Lee was tied to a chair and beaten so badly he was left ‘on the point of death’.
Jamie had organised the attack and recruited ‘extra muscle’ in Arron Graham, 26, and Jamie Lee Roberts, 18, to help.
Lee was still alive however when he was thrown into a river south of Carlisle where he was unable to stop himself drowning.
A farmer found his body a few hours later.
When his body was exclaimed, he had 36 separate injuries including head-wounds, a fractured skull and several broken ribs which made him look like a ‘torture victim’.
Lee was punched, kicked, stamped, beaten and whipped with a riding crop that Coral’s mum Carol, 47, had bought from a sex shop.
Paul Roberts, 51, admitted to helping his son Jamie Lee Roberts, by bringing him clean clothes after the attack and destroying blood-stained clothes.
He also claimed he tried to help Lee when he saw how badly injured he was.
During the trial all six defendants tried to blame one another for Lee's death.
All six defendants denied murder but were convicted after a trial lasting several weeks and were jailed for a total of 119.5 years today.
The Honourable Mr Justice Hilliard said that Jamie and Arron both knew that Lee was alive and that they both chose to deliberately drown him.
The judge said, "I am sure that Davison and Graham put him in the river. They drowned him. Deliberately.
"This was in my judgement murder for gain and a murder intended to obstruct the course of justice."
Carlisle Crown Court also heard a heart-breaking statement from Lee's mother Wendy McKnight.
She said, "You don't expect your son to be murdered and taken away so soon without even being given a chance to say goodbye.
"We do try to go about our lives as normally as we can but underneath our hearts are broken. He was loved by so many and we were proud to call him our son.
"This has pushed our family to the limit.
"He was always polite and courteous and always had time to chat. He was thoughtful and never missed special occasions - father's and mother's day, birthdays and Christmas."
Wendy told the court she was continuously haunted by thoughts of what he went through while in the 'torture chamber' where he was 'brutally beaten' to within an inch of his life.
The statement continued: "It was hard to believe that Lee will never walk through our front door again and there will always be a spare seat at our table - we will miss his smiling face and infectious laugh.
"Every family has lost a love one through different causes, but this is a lot different and we will miss Lee so much"No sentence will bring back our son but will give us peace that those responsible for playing a part in his death have been brought to justice."
The QC representing the youngest of Lee McKnight's killers said teenager Jamie Lee Roberts was a 'late recruit' to the plan to attack the victim.
Jamie even smiled while watching the hearing over a video link as Richard Littler QC told the court that Jamie Lee Roberts junior was recruited as 'extra muscle'.
The court heard that Jamie Lee Roberts was to be rewarded for helping with the violence by having his drugs debt to wiped out.
Mr Litter said: "We submit that this was a young lad [Jamie Lee Roberts] who was way, way, out of his depth. This is a young man who needs help."
Caroline Goodwin QC, representing Coral Edgar, said the defendant had found herself at the heart of a 'perfect storm' of circumstances, which left her vulnerable to manipulation.
She had recognised mental health issues, a worsening drugs addiction, and the imminent threat of eviction.
Ms Goodwin said: "She was not responsible for the delivery of the violence, and she had no control over the extent of the violence which was to be used.
"She was herself in a state of shock at what she found herself being involved in."
Toby Hedworth QC, defending Carol Edgar, 47, said she had not been physically involved in the attack on Lee McKnight.
The prosecution says she allowed her Nissan Navara to be used following the savage attack to pick up and transport Lee to the river where he was dumped.
Gordon Cole QC, representing the oldest of the Lee McKnight killers, Paul Roberts, said that he had only got involved because he was trying to help his son Jamie Lee Roberts.
Mr Cole said: "He had no part in any planning; and there was no financial gain for him."
Sentencings in full
Coral Edgar, 26, of Carlisle, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 13-and-a-half years.
Carol Edgar, 47, of Carlisle, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 13 years.
Jamie Davison, 26, of Harraby, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years.
Arron Graham, 26, of Currock, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years.
Jamie Lee Roberts, 18, of Carlisle, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16-and-a-half years.
Paul Roberts, 51, of Carlisle, was jailed for for life with a minimum term of 20-and-a-half years.
