Police arrest 18-year-old man on suspicion of murder after body of Jordan Watson, 14, is found in cemetery

Murder investigation was launched following discovery of the teenager's body

(Facebook)

An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a 14-year-old boy was discovered in a cemetery in Carlisle, police have said.

A murder investigation was launched following the discovery of the body of Jordan Watson in the grounds of St John's Church cemetery on Tuesday morning.

A post-mortem examination revealed the teenager died from multiple wounds to the head and neck caused by a sharp implement.

Detectives said an 18-year-old man, from Carlisle, was arrested on suspicion of murder earlier today.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Slattery said: "At 10.39am this morning a 18-year-old man from Carlisle was arrested on suspicion of Jordan's murder.

"However this is one line of inquiry. The investigation is ongoing and we are keeping an open mind about the motive and why indeed this crime took place.

"We would like to hear from anybody who has any information that can assist the investigation in any way. In particular, anybody who saw or heard anything unusual in the area of the cemetery or anybody who saw Jordan on the 15th of June."

Jordan, who was 5ft, of slim build and with brown hair, was last seen wearing a blue and grey hoodie, black Adidas t-shirt, grey tracksuit bottoms and grey Nike trainers.

Det Supt Slattery said detectives believe Jordan was murdered in a secluded part of the cemetery.

He was last seen at a friend's address nearby at 11pm on Monday.

Assistant Chief Constable Darren Martland said: "Our thoughts are very much with Jordan's family at this tragic time. We are also very much acutely aware of the impact and the nature of Jordan's death, and the anxiety and concerns that may be expressed by the local community.

"On behalf of Cumbria Constabulary, I would like to reassure the communities in Cumbria that we will do everything, working with those communities and our partners, to identify the individual or people responsible for Jordan's death and bring them to justice."

Jordan's school has paid tribute to the teenager, saying he was "small in stature but big on personality".

Robert Hewson, headteacher at the Gillford Centre, said: "All the staff and students at the Gillford Centre are saddened and shocked by the tragic news of Jordan's death. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

"Jordan attended the PRU (pupil referral unit) after being permanently excluded from mainstream school in July 2014. He was small in stature but big on personality.

"Everyone at the school is still coming to terms with what has happened and it will take quite some time for everyone to recover from this tragedy."

Additional reporting by PA