Murder suspect admits using 'extreme violence' before tragedy
The man accused of murdering father of four Richard Helm has admitted using 'extreme violence' in the hours before the tragedy.
Danny Cooper was holding the knife that took the life of the victim but told the Wolverhampton Crown Court jury it was an accident.
The 32-year-old revealed he trained as a boxer and had won bouts at white collar charity events.
He floored Richard Helm's sister Kelsie several times with 'quite hard' punches during a clash in the street after smashing windows in her Adey Road, Ashmore Park, house and car.
Cooper could not explain why he did this but Mr Stephen Linehan QC, prosecuting, suggested during cross examination: "It is because that night you were enjoying engaging in violence, excited by it and involving yourself without restraint.
"She did not present a threat to you but, as a boxer, you chose to repeatedly hit her on the jaw line. You wanted to injure her."
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The defendant declared: "Maybe I wanted to hurt her. I don't know - it all happened so quickly." Mr Linehan retorted: "You were in exactly the same mood when Richard Helm came on the scene."
Cooper left Kelsie lying flat out as he turned to punch the mother of her former partner Luke Fry who was involved in a feud with Matty Stinson with whom the defendant had been drinking that night.
He conceded: "It had nothing to do with me but I involved myself in the feud during the early hours of the next day, October 12."
At around 5.15am Richard Helm and his brother Anthony arrived outside the Raven Crescent, Ashmore Park home of Stinson whom they wrongly believed was the person who attacked their sister. He was at the address with Cooper and his 27-year-old friend Ashley Wilson.
Stinson was first out of the house but Mr Linehan maintained the other two were delayed while allegedly arming themselves with knives from the kitchen.
Cooper denied this and claimed to have picked up a knife supposedly dropped by Richard Helm when he stumbled outside the property.
The defendant told the jury: "He got up in a crouched position and charged at me. I didn't pull the knife away because it happened so quickly. He took me off my feet and landed on top of me. I pulled the knife out of him but did not realise how badly he was injured.
"He got up, walked towards the end of the driveway and collapsed. I was in a blind panic and ran off. Wilson went first to his car and I followed."
He agreed that he had behaved with extreme violence towards people connected with Fry that night and Mr Linehan concluded: "The man who had behaved with extreme violence had accidentally killed somebody?"
Cooper, from Maytree Close, Chelmsley Wood, replied: "Yes."
He admits assault and criminal damage but both he and Wilson from Guernsey Drive, Chelmsley deny murder.
The case continues.
