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Saturday 7 July 2012

Nottingham News (October 2012)


Nottingham News

October 2012

Tuesday 2nd October 2012:

Murder

Gary Cooper
A man newly released from prison killed his flatmate in an alcohol-fuelled knife attack. Gary Cooper stabbed Mark Calpin, a friend of 20 years, five times during an argument.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Cooper shouted "I hope you die" as Mr Calpin was stretchered out of his flat in Ashwell Gardens, Hyson Green, on November 5 last year.
Cooper, 45, pleaded guilty to murder at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday.
Graham Reeds QC, prosecuting, said Cooper had returned to Mr Calpin's flat on November 4 last year after a court hearing for another offence.
The pair drank together with friends but Cooper lost his temper and attacked a man with a screwdriver, cutting his face around the right eye and his upper body.
Cooper then injured two women with the screwdriver at another house in Ashwell Gardens, before trying to return to Mr Calpin's home where he was refused entry.
Mr Reeds said: "He went around to the kitchen window, managed to open it from the outside, and broke into the flat.
"He picked up a knife off the work surface and another knife off the draining board and went into the living room to confront Mark Calpin.
"Mark Calpin stood up. The defendant threatened him and told him to sit down, which he did.
"While he was sitting the defendant stabbed him in the side. It was described by a witness as a stabbing involving frantic movements."
The court heard three of the five wounds, which were all caused by a six-inch knife, were to Mr Calpin's liver.
A 999 call was made at 1.45am and Mr Calpin, 44, was pronounced dead at the Queen's Medical Centre at 3.30am.
The court heard Cooper had begun living with Mr Calpin after being released from prison in July, 2011.
Mr Reeds said: "On release from that sentence he had nowhere to go. Mark Calpin took him in, in late October or early November (2011)."
Sarah Porter, in mitigation for Cooper, said: "He has had months to go over the events of that evening time and time again.
"Mr Cooper is at a loss to understand how the events escalated to such an extent, with such tragic consequences, amongst what was essentially a group of close friends."
Miss Porter added: "He's unable to recall the precise details of what happened when he went back into that flat. He finds it very difficult to accept what inevitably must have been what he did that evening.
"He cannot believe he would have stabbed a friend in that way."
Judge Michael Stokes QC sentenced Cooper to life imprisonment and said he must serve at least 23 years before being eligible for parole.
Judge Stokes said: "This is as clear a case of murder as one could possibly imagine.
"Mark Calpin's family and friends have had to wait to hear you acknowledge your responsibility for what you did."
Cooper also pleaded guilty to three charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to the man and two women at an earlier hearing.
He was sentenced to 18 months for each charge, to run concurrently.
A plea of not guilty to a charge of robbery in relation to the attack on Mr Calpin was also accepted by the court.

Tuesday 2nd October 2012:

Rape

Mansfield Magistrates Court
A 15-year old boy has appeared at court, charged with the rape and sexual assault of a pensioner.
The teenager is alleged to have attacked the 65-year-old on land near Vale Road, in Mansfield Woodhouse, at about 8.30am on Saturday August 4.
The man and the teenager are not believed to be known to each other.
The teenager, who police say is from Notts, appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court.
He was remanded into custody and will next appear at Nottingham Crown Court on October 16.





Tuesday 2nd October 2012:

The man who killed Nottinghamshire policeman Ged Walker has been sent back to prison for attacking his girlfriend.



In 2003 PC Walker was dragged to his death by a stolen taxi driven by David Parfitt.
Parfitt, 35, from Nottingham, was jailed for 13 years for manslaughter but was released in March this year.
At Leicester Crown Court he was jailed for two and a half years after being convicted of causing actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.
His trial in August heard he had met his girlfriend online but attacked her just weeks into the relationship.
Despite it being against the terms of his release, Parfitt had been drinking and punched and headbutted her during an argument at her home in Lincoln.
Dick Holmes from Lincolnshire Police said Parfitt had a "Jekyll and Hyde" character when taking alcohol.





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