A convicted murderer released from prison on licence called his support worker to say he had killed his neighbour, a court was told.
David Cook, 65, of Tan Y Bryn, Rhymney, denies murdering 64-year-old next door neighbour Leonard Hill. Cook claims he strangled Mr Hill when he “lost control” after Mr Hill visited him at his home and sexually assaulted him.
Newport Crown Court was told on Thursday by the prosecution that after killing Mr Hill in “a brutal, determined and merciless attack”, Cook stole keys to his neighbour’s bungalow and let himself in. He then stole £40 and went to the Tredegar Arms pub and drank with locals.
Jurors were told by prosecuting barrister David Aubrey QC that after drinking at the pub, Cook returned to Mr Hill’s bungalow and spent the night.
Mr Aubrey said: “What is clear is that he beat Leonard Hill unconscious or semi-conscious.
“He then bound and gagged him using a pillow case and then throttled him until he was dead.
“He then concealed the body in his own bungalow and went on to build a barricade around it with pieces of furniture.”
The following morning, on June 14, 2011, Cook went back to his own home to hide the body of Mr Hill – a well-known man who was a regular fixture at a local betting shop and day centre.
Two days after the killing, Cook was visited by support worker Nicholas Hopkins who was unaware that Mr Hill’s body was lying bound and gagged in a nearby bedroom under a pile of carpets and cushions and surrounded by televisions.
The court also heard how Cook had stolen DVDs and a watch from Mr Hill’s home and asked Mr Hopkins for lift into Caerphilly where Cook sold the lot for £13.70 at a Cash Generator store.
Cook, who was convicted in 1988 of murdering Beryl Maynard in Reading and released on licence in 2009, claims Mr Hill had grabbed him by the private parts on the day of his death and had, on another occasion touched his bottom. It was this, he claims, that made him lose control and kill Mr Hill.
The prosecution claims Cook has a history of robbery and lying to get money to pay debts. At the time of Mr Hill’s death, Cook was said to have owed £5,800.
After Mr Hill’s death, Cook decided to flee the Rhymney area and spent nights at a bed and breakfast before heading to Swansea.
In the meantime, Mr Hill was reported as missing by those who knew him at the day centre. Police contacted Cook during their enquiries and it was then he decided to hand himself in.
Jurors were told he called his support worker and probation officer and left them a voicemail admitting he had killed his neighbour.
Police were called to Swansea train station and arrested Cook. Officers then went to his address in Rhymney and discovered Mr Hill’s body bound and gagged.
The prosecution said Cook’s two previous convictions of robbery and murder showed a tendency to tie up his victims and lie about injuries he had sustained during the attacks.
The judge, Mr Justice Griffith Williams, warned jurors that while Cook was a convicted murderer, that did not necessarily make him guilty of this murder.
The trial continues.