IN SUMMING up Scott Cooper’s murder trial, Judge Timothy Mousley took members of the jury though the evidence of various witnesses.

The first was that of another male, hereafter referred to as Mr X, who Judge Mousley described as the only possible eyewitness.

He is also the person Piers Brazier, who has been acquitted of the murder, said killed Mr Cooper.

On Thursday, January 5, members of the jury reached a unanimous verdict in Scott Cooper's murder trial.

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Judge Mousley said Mr X, who is already serving a lengthy sentence for GBH, fled from the police earlier in the day on an unrelated matter and ran to Mr Brazier’s flat.

He said Mr Brazier shushed him on arrival, and he saw Mr Cooper sat down in front of a television stand, appearing to roll a cigarette.

Mr X told the court Mr Brazier stabbed the victim in the chest with a knife, approaching him from the side and ‘blind-siding’ him.

He said Mr Cooper fell onto his back, and Mr Brazier got on top of him and stabbed him in the eye and chest.

He said he told Mr Brazier to stop and didn’t know why he chose to attack Mr Cooper in front of him.

Mr X said he froze and left the flat, and later returned in search of his mobile phone, which he claimed was later found at an address in Binstead.

When he returned, he said Mr Brazier had a lot of blood on him, and Mr Cooper was lying dead in the front room.

Judge Mousley said Mr X was reluctant to be a witness, refused to sign a witness statement, and his solicitor asked for immunity from prosecution if he was to give evidence.

Mr X couldn’t explain why his DNA was found on one of the knives in the flat and refused to answer a question concerning whether he was a drug dealer.

He denied leaving a stash of cocaine at another address and refuted claims that another male was his enforcer and debt collector.

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He agreed that he had been a violent man but denied killing Mr Cooper.

He said he didn’t really know Mr Brazier and denied dealing drugs both to him and the victim.

He said he also didn’t know the Albanian man Mr Cooper had an altercation with outside the building very well, and didn’t tell Mr Cooper to burgle properties to get the money he owed him.

He further refuted Mr Brazier’s claims that he told him not to call the police, that he told him he would ‘sort it out’, and that he threatened him.