Barry Cooper was murdered by Karl Quincey because Mr Cooper said Quincey was repsonsible for a burglary in Devizes, Winchester Crown Court heard today.

Prosecution barrister Stuart Jones QC told the court that Quincey, 33, of Longcroft Avenue, Devizes, attacked Mr Cooper in the hallway of a block of flats in Victoria Road, Devizes, at about 4.30pm on June 27 last year.

Mr Cooper’s father, Michael, and brother Kevin, listened to the evidence from the public gallery.

Mr Cooper, who was 28 and of Eastleigh Road, Devizes, died as a result of multiple stab wounds. The jury, consisting of seven women and five men, were told by Mr Jones that Mr Cooper had been stabbed at least eight times in the right side of his neck.

Mr Jones said the attack on Mr Cooper was witnessed by Steven Stiles, who Quincey had been visiting at his flat in Victoria Road.

Mr Jones said: “Mr Stiles said Karl Quincey grabbed Barry Cooper round his neck, lunged him to the floor and started stabbing him repeatedly to the neck with what looked like a silver dagger.

Mr Stiles said he seemed like a madman possessed sinking his knife into his neck.”

After the attack, Quincey went to the home of Sean Comley in Longcroft Avenue where he, Quincey, had been staying. Soon after numbers of Mr Cooper’s family banged on the front door of the house looking for Quincey.

Mr Jones said it would seem Quincey escaped from a bedroom of the house.

Later that evening Quincey told Malcolm Stiles, who he met by chance in Victoria Road, that he had stabbed Barry Cooper.

Quincey told Mr Stiles: “I got him in the main artery.”

Mr Jones told the court that the injuries to Mr Cooper were “catastrophic” as the knife wounds had shredded his jugular vein.

Mr Cooper was certified brain dead shortly before 2pm the following day at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

After his family had said their farewells at his bedside his life support machine was turned off at 4pm.

When Quincey was arrested in the early hours of June 28, no knives were found on him.

When he was arrested for the murder of Barry Cooper later that day, Quincey replied: “Seriously? Barry’s dead? ...... hell!”

Quincey denies the murder of Barry Cooper.

The trial continues.