Karl Quincey told the jury at his murder trial that he was not Barry Cooper’s killer.

Quincey, 33, of Longcroft Avenue, Devizes, is charged with murder of Mr Cooper, 28, of Eastleigh Road, Devizes, after Mr Cooper died of multiple stab wounds to the neck.

The prosecution told the jury at Winchester Crown Court that Quincey stabbed Mr Cooper in the passageway of a block of flats in Victoria Road, Devizes, on June 27 last year because he was angry that Mr Cooper had accused him of committing a burglary at Jimmy Waite’s flat nearby.

Giving evidence yesterday, Quincey said Barry Cooper was a friend and they had grown up together in Devizes although he hadn’t seen him for over 12 years.

He denied he was angry at having been accused of burgling Mr Waite’s flat. He said: “I was taking it on the chin like a pinch of salt.”

Patrick Harrington QC, defence barrister, asked Quincey if he had murdered Barry Cooper and he replied: “I didn’t murder Barry Cooper at all.”

Quincey said he entered the block of flats in Victoria Road to find Mr Cooper lying on the floor bleeding with Steven Stiles bent over him with blood on his hands.

He also sid there were other people standing around.

He claimed to have said: “What the ****’s going on here?” And Steven Stiles replied: “Mind your ****ing business.” Quincey said he then walked out of the flat.

He said he went to Kevin Comley’s house in Logncroft Avenue, Devizes, where he had been staying on and off.

He said no one was in the house and he had a wash in the bathroom because he had had sex with his girlfiend that morning at Steven Stiles’s flat and he felt grubby.

He then changed his trousers and jumper and then walked up to Gypsy Patch and stayed there for two hours.

He then came back to Victoria Road, took a lady’s mountain bike which he found near the hospital, rode back down to the flats and spoke to a police officer, giving his name and date of birth.

He then went to Jimmy Waite’s flat but denied he told Mr Waite that “justice has been done” or had changed into clean clothes.

He then went back to the Comleys’ house in Longcroft Avenue just before midnight and said Kevin Comley told him he had burned Quincey’s clothes, but didn’t say where or why.

Quincey was arrested a short time later in Devizes when he was chased by police.

Under cross examination by Stuart Jones QC, he said that Jimmy Waite, Sean Comley and Malcolm Stiles were all mistaken in what they had told the court.

Quincey said he did not speak to Malcolm Stiles on the evening after Mr Cooper had been stabbed.

He said that Tina Strawson had fabricated that he was carrying a knife when she met him two days before the stabbing and that she said he was going to “get” Mr Cooper.

Mr Jones asked him why Mr Waite would have told lies about him. Quincey replied: “Maybe he had some involvement in Barry Cooper’s murder.”

The trial continues