Wincobank murder trial: Key witness denies killing Sheffield man Cy Cooper

The key witness in the murder of Sheffield man Cy Cooper has denied killing him days after they had a row over his ex-girlfriend outside his flat.
Murder scene: Cy Cooper, aged 44, was allegedly beaten and had his house set on fire fire at Bluebell Close in Sheffield. Picture Dean AtkinsMurder scene: Cy Cooper, aged 44, was allegedly beaten and had his house set on fire fire at Bluebell Close in Sheffield. Picture Dean Atkins
Murder scene: Cy Cooper, aged 44, was allegedly beaten and had his house set on fire fire at Bluebell Close in Sheffield. Picture Dean Atkins

At Sheffield Crown Court, Andrew Stubbs QC, for murder accused Paul Cain, said Mr Cooper’s nephew Duane Cook had a ‘motive’ for the killing because he admitted suspecting his uncle was having sexwith his ex-girlfriend.

Sheffield Crown Court had previously heard Mr Cook moved out of the Wincobank flat he had shared with Mr Cooper after a ‘disagreement’.

Cy CooperCy Cooper
Cy Cooper
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Cain, aged 24, of no fixed address, is accused of attacking Mr Cooper and setting fire to his flat after a row over a smelly dog.

But Mr Cook told the court Cain had ‘no grudge he knew of’ with his uncle.

Mr Stubbs QC asked Mr Cook: “Did you kill your uncle, Cy Cooper?”

Mr Cook responded, ‘No’.

Cy CooperCy Cooper
Cy Cooper

He told the jury he saw Mr Cooper in the afternoon before his death to fix his games console.

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He said: “The next time I saw him I walked up to the flat and when I went to the door, Paul opened it, standing over Cy.”

Mr Cook was arrested on suspicion of murder a day after being quizzed by police.

Graham Reeds QC, prosecuting, asked Mr Cook how he felt about the arrest.

He said: “I wasn’t happy about it. I had been accused of murdering the only person that cared about me at the time.”

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Mr Cook was asked why he answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him while he was in police custody.

“I was advised by my solicitor. I wanted to say who had done it but if I grassed, Paul said I would be next,” Mr Cook said. He gave a statement to police a few days later as a witness, not a suspect.

It is the prosecution’s case that clothes obtained from Cain matched those he was seen wearing on CCTV footage at a shop the night before Mr Cooper was killed.

The prosecution have also said a T-shirt Cain was allegedly wearing was found with the victim’s blood on it.

The trial continues.

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