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Wolverhampton murder trial: Victim Richard Helm’s sister 'attacked by suspect'

Murder victim Richard Helm’s sister Kelsie has told of the moment she was attacked by the man accused of stabbing her brother to death.

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Richard Helm, inset, was found stabbed outside a house in Raven Crescent, Ashmore Park, along with a burned out Land Rover

Windows in her home at Adey Road, Ashmore Park in Wolverhampton had been smashed with lumps of concrete thrown hours earlier by Danny Cooper, who admits responsibility for both the assault and the criminal damage, a court heard.

Kelsie was returning from her mother’s house, which was three doors from the Raven Crescent address of Matty Stinson, who was involved in a feud with her ex-partner Luke Fry and she wrongly believed had broken the windows, the jury was told at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Police forensic teams outside the house after the fatal stabbing

He was waiting for her and the pair had a shouting match on the street corner which was halted by police investigating the stoning of her house.

Kelsie decided to move her three children to the home of Mr Fry’s mother, Debra Allen, but there was a further disturbance before the switch took place.

The two women went outside to investigate and walked back along Adey Road towards Raven Crescent, said Kelsie who continued: “When I got to the corner of my street the person I now know as Danny Cooper came running towards me and Debbie. As I turned my face towards him he swung and hit me.”

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She was felled three times by blows to the face before he turned on Ms Allen, the court was told. The women ran back to Kelsie’s home, collected the children and took them to Ms Allen’s address from where Kelsie rang her father, who lived out of the area, and told him what had happened.

Their father asked the brothers to check on Kelsie who confessed: “I rang in case they contacted him but had not expected him to ring them.”

The road was closed off after the fatal stabbing

Richard and Anthony drove to the home of Stinson where a brawl started outside at around 5.10am on October 12. Richard was stabbed through the heart within five minutes of arriving and died at the scene, the court heard.

Mr Stephen Linehan,QC, alleged Cooper delivered the fatal blow with a knife taken from the kitchen while supposedly egged on by his friend 27-year-old Ashley Wilson. Both fled the scene and were not arrested for several days.

Cooper from Maytree Close and Wilson of Guernsey Drive, both Chelmsley Wood, each denies murder and the trial continues.

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