Two men were today each jailed for at least 25 years after being found guilty of murdering a Fakenham man.

Andrew Cameron, 28, and his friend Alexander Dewar, 24, both from Blackpool, had denied killing 45-year-old Steven Murphy but were convicted by a jury at Norwich Crown Court.

Cameron was given a concurrent 15-year sentence for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and Dewar was given a concurrent eight-year term for grievous bodily harm with intent.

Andrew Cameron planned the attack with his father 53-year-old James Cameron and he was also convicted on a separate charge of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent.

James Cameron, of Elgin, Morayshire, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Mr Murphy was murdered on September 30, 2009, at his home address in King's Road, Fakenham.

Police were called to the address on October 1 where the body of the 45-year-old was discovered. A post mortem revealed Mr Murphy had died from stab wounds.

A murder enquiry was launched by the joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team (MIT) and enquiries led officers to James Cameron who had fallen out with Mr Murphy some months earlier.

The breakthrough in the investigation came when officers recovered a text message from James Cameron's phone sent to his son Andrew on the day of the murder which contained offensive references to Mr Murphy.

This led police to Andrew Cameron and his friend Dewar who were living in Blackpool. Having identified these men as suspects, officers pieced together their movements on the day of the murder. Detectives were also able to locate witnesses who had received information from the men about their involvement in the murder.

Det Chief Insp Jes Fry, who led the investigation, said: 'The investigation was particularly difficult as the offenders directly involved had no ties to the local area and through their awareness of forensic science had not left any evidence at the scene. My team showed determination and tenacity in bringing this case to a successful conclusion, working closely with Norfolk Crown Prosecution Service.

'I would like to thank Mr Murphy's family for their support and faith in my team throughout the protracted investigation.'

A statement from Mr Murphy's family said: 'Steven was a beautiful son, a loving brother and a proud father. He was brutally murdered in his home, where he was tragically found by his adoring mum.

'The people behind this act are violent and evil and today they have been brought to justice.

'This is an important milestone to enable our family to move forward and as a family we would like to use this opportunity to thank DCI Fry and his team who have been diligent, professional and when appropriate, sensitive in their quest for justice.

'We would also like to thank the large number of people who came to Steven's funeral service and to thank those who have helped and supported us.'

See tomorrow's EDP for full background on the case.