MAN SENTENCED FOR ATTEMPTED DECAPITATION OF EX-GIRLFRIEND WITH PEN-KNIFE
In 2009, Benjamin Cooper, aged 35, was given a prison sentence after attempting to kill his former partner, Claire Marshall, at her family’s dwelling in Millom, Cumbria, in January.He attacked her with a pen-knife to her throat and used a kitchen knife in an effort to cut her from ear to ear.
The police described the assault as extremely violent and brutal.
The attack was witnessed by Miss Marshall’s teenage daughter, and Miss Marshall had already died by the time police arrived.
Afterward, Cooper went to the residence of his stepfather, Gerald Fern, on Mainsgate Road, where he launched an attack using a meat cleaver and knives on Fern.
He admitted to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and to attempted murder.
Despite the severity of his actions, Cooper was allowed to leave Bristol Crown Court after his father, Jim, appealed for clemency, stating he had forgiven his son.
The court considered whether to impose an indefinite hospital order or a prison sentence, with expert evidence and discussions still in progress regarding the most suitable punishment.
The trial revealed that Cooper had experienced psychotic episodes, believing that Miss Marshall intended to harm him, which contributed to his conduct.
Emergency services found Miss Marshall had succumbed to multiple injuries, including 21 wounds to her head and neck, with all her vital organs and arteries severed, resulting in a likely rapid death.
The case was further connected to a history of violent incidents, notably that in 1994, Miss Marshall’s mother was also murdered—stabbed 30 times—by her son John, both being adoptees.
The court stressed the significance of Cooper’s mental health, and his sentence was influenced by his guilty plea, detailed testimony about the assault, and his history of drug misuse, which affected his sense of responsibility.
