A senior judge will today pass mandatory life sentences on the six people found guilty of murdering Carlisle man Lee McKnight.

The Honourable Mr Justice Hilliard is legally obliged to impose life terms on the six defendants, who were all convicted by a jury after a trial despite denying the murder of 26-year-old Mr McKnight on July 24 last year.

The minimum time that each defendant must serve behind bars is determined by the circumstances of his or her offending. The six guilty people – who include a mother and her daughter and a father and his son – are:

* Jamie Davison, 26, of Beverley Rise, Harraby, convicted unanimously.

* Arron Graham, 26, of Blackwell Road, Currock, convicted unanimously.

* Jamie Lee Roberts, 18, of Grey Street, Carlisle, convicted unanimously.

* Coral Edgar, 26, of Charles Street, Carlisle, convicted unanimously.

* Her mother Carol Edgar, 47, of Charles Street, convicted by a majority 10-2 decision.

* And Jamie Lee’s father Paul Roberts, 51, also of Grey Street, Carlisle who, like Carol Edgar, was convicted by a majority verdict. 

Over several weeks, a Carlisle Crown Court trial heard distressing details about how Mr McKnight, who was selling cannabis and cocaine to his contacts, crossed “middle-man” drug dealer Davison.

Mr McKnight owed Davison money.

But Davison was himself under pressure from higher-level suppliers.

So he had Mr McKnight “lured” to the Charles Street home of Coral Edgar, where he was subjected to hours of violence. His injuries were so horrific he looked like a torture victim, the jury heard.

His attackers then callously “dumped” him in a river where – too badly injured to help himself – he drowned.

“There was plenty of time to [get him help] if anybody had cared at all for Lee but none of them did the decent thing,” said prosecutor Tim Cray QC.

On average, convicted murderers in England and Wales serve 16.5 years in jail.

Official guidance on the sentencing of people convicted of murder states: "The judge must impose a life sentence and follow guidance on the minimum amount of time the offender must be in prison before being considered for release (this is sometimes referred to as the tariff."

The minimum prison term will depend on the facts of the offence. Life sentences for murder for an adult usually range from 15 to 30 years. For an offender under 18 the starting point is 12 years. 

Every year in England and Wales, around 300 people are given a life sentence for murder. On average, convicted murderers serve 16.5 years in jail,