Christopher Cooper, 39, attacked Kelvin Evans, 64, outside the Station Hotel in Gorseinon, Wales, last year and has been convicted of murder and jailed for life
A foul-mouthed murderer jailed for life for killing a pub goer told the judge to “go f*** yourself” as he was sentenced.
Kelvin Evans, 64, was attacked by Christopher Cooper outside The Station Hotel in Gorseinon, Wales, in May last year and died a month later. Cooper admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming the victim had been the aggressor and had threatened to “glass” his girlfriend over her performance at the karaoke machine, Swansea Crown Court heard.
During the trial, prosecutor Andrew Jones called Cooper’s claims “ludicrous” and “an insult to everyone’s intelligence”. The 39-year-old was convicted of murder and his partner, 54-year-old Tracy Francis, was convicted of assisting an offender for her role in trying to cover up the killing.
Today Cooper, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years, WalesOnline reported. After being told he may never be released, the defendant shouted out from the dock: “Go **** yourself. How’s that? D******d”.
After entering the witness box, Mr Evans’ 92-year-old mother Maureen Evans told the court that “as a mother you never expect your children to go before you”. Describing her son as “thoughtful, helpful, and the best son you could wish for”, Ms Evans added: “I look at his picture every morning and every night – I miss him so much”.
In a victim impact statement, the victim’s former partner Janet Cross described Mr Evans as the love of her life and her “soul mate”. Ms Cross added since the murder her “days and nights are filled with inconsolable grief”, adding Cooper “killed a part of me too”.
Addressing Cooper, who has 23 previous convictions for 53 offences including two batteries, assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH), Judge Geraint Walters told the defendant he showed “not a glimmer of remorse” for what he had done and indeed, at times, “seemed to delight in the whole experience of it”. He said the defendant’s “gloating was not just sickening, but was another indication of the kind of man” in the dock.
Speaking after the sentencing, South Wales Police detective inspector David Butt said: “We are pleased to see justice has been done in court. Christopher Cooper’s senseless attack has cost Kelvin Evans his life and has done untold damage to the lives of his family and friends. Kelvin Evans should have been able to return home safely to his family following a night out on a Sunday night in May last year. Instead, his family will never be able to forget that night.
“I hope they receive some comfort from today’s sentencing, and that they can now begin to grieve the loss of Kelvin. Meanwhile, Tracy Francis’s sentence should be seen as a warning against assisting offenders to evade justice – this will not work and will only result in those assisting being made to face justice too.”
