A loner who stabbed the niece of comedy legend Tommy Cooper to death has been jailed for life.
Tony King left Sabrina Cooper, 68, lying face down in a pool of her own blood at her home just before Christmas.
Yesterday, King was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 23 years after admitting murder.
The 60-year-old alcoholic and drug user was a friend of Ms Cooper and had offered to help her pack ahead of a move.
Ms Cooper’s daughter, Natasha, 42, found her mum with multiple stab wounds. She told the court : “There are no words that describe the suffering we have endured since my mum was taken away. Life will never be the same again.
“The way she died, scared and in pain – that thought will never leave me.
“Mum had a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone.”
Ms Cooper’s brother, John, added: “In her final minutes, she was faced with brutality and terror and we are haunted by the horror of it. We are tormented by what she endured. Did she fight back?
“How long did she endure this attack? Did she know she was going to die?
“Her final taste: her own blood; her final sight: the face of her murderer.”
King recorded a TikTok video the day before the murder, in which he said: “Watch out for my next trick. It’s going to be awesome.”
The next day, he recorded another, saying: “I took a life today.”
Ms Cooper, who helped out in the community, had befriended King. She once cooked him Sunday lunch.
At first, he denied murdering her but changed his plea to guilty last month.
Ms Cooper’s dad, David, was the brother of Welsh comic Tommy. She ran a magic and fancy dress shop in her home town of Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Resident Paul Hall, 67, said: “She was a delightful lady, full of energy and life.”
