WOOLWICH: Man guilty of David Cooper murder (From News Shopper)

WOOLWICH: Man guilty of David Cooper murder

1:06pm Thursday 9th July 2009 in

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A FAILED asylum seeker has been found guilty of murdering 28-year-old David Cooper.

Nineteen-year-old Mossab Belhocine kicked and beat Mr Cooper to death in November last year.

The Algerian national kicked his victim so hard an imprint of his trainer was left on Mr Cooper’s face.

As the verdict was read out, there were hysterical screams from Belhocine's family in the public gallery.

Belhocine put his head in his hands and shouted: “You can't do this, you can't do this. That's wrong, that's wrong.”

During the eight-day Old Bailey trial the court heard how Belhocine, also known as Adam Saidi, met Mr Cooper in Soho before the pair travelled to the victim's flat in Calderwood Street, Woolwich.

The killer says he punched and kicked the sales assistant to stop him from raping him, but the court was told the Algerian had been planning a robbery.

Belhocine, from Walthamstow, ransacked the flat while Mr Cooper lay dying on the floor.

He stole a silver bracelet, a DVD player, a computer console, a television, a laptop and an Oyster card before stuffing the items in two bags and leaving the flat.

Police traced the killer on Mr Cooper's Oyster card and arrested him shortly afterwards.

Belhocine, who denied murder, had claimed he was sexually abused as a child and believed this memory may have triggered his anger on the night of Mr Cooper's death.

The failed asylum seeker came to the UK on a visitor's visa in 2007.

He was part of a network of Algerian pickpockets operating in the Finsbury Park area, the court heard.

The jury took four hours to convict Belhocine of murder and robbery. He will be sentenced tomorrow morning.