Two faces of evil

Justice Maurice Kay said the 26 knife wounds to Miss Cooper's body were "among the most dreadful I have ever seen in a stabbing case".

Warning Lee, 23, and Seviour, 21, that they faced a long prison sentence for the murder of 23-year-old Miss Cooper and the attempted murder of Kevin York, 35, Judge Kay told Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday how the brothers' troubled backgrounds were no excuse for the knife attacks last May.

He said: "In my judgement she (Lizzie Cooper) was murdered because her presence was unexpected. She was ruthlessly killed, otherwise she would have been a witness to your premeditated attack on Kevin York.

"The murder of Lizzie Cooper was as savage and brutal as it is possible to imagine."

The family of Miss Cooper and police officers involved in the murder investigation were forced to wait an agonising eight hours while the jury considered their verdicts. Finding Seviour guilty of murder and both brothers guilty of attempted murder on Wednesday, the jury heard how both men had a history of violence with Lee convicted for two armed robberies and Seviour for two acts of violence in nightclubs.

Detective Chief Inspector Norman McKeaveney, who led the murder investigation, said he was delighted the brothers were behind bars.

He said: "It was the longest jury trial I have ever been involved in and we are delighted with the result.

"Lizzie and Kevin were the victims of a sustained and vicious attack which was to result in the death of Lizzie and from which Kevin was lucky to escape with his life.

"It was made clear during the trial that Lizzie was simply and tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The eight-day trial was laced with emotion as the jury heard how the two brothers waited for two hours in Kevin York's Longfield Road home and then launched into a double knife attack on him and Miss Cooper after they returned from a night out in Trowbridge.

Miss Cooper suffered 26 stab wounds many of which were delivered with such force the blows shattered ribs and chipped bones.

The motive for the attack was pinned on Lee's tempestuous four-year homosexual relationship with Mr York who was also his legal foster father.

In interview Lee told police Mr York had subjected him to bullying and humiliation during their relationship and even took him to gay porn clubs in London to sell drugs.

He told officers: "One time I slit my wrists. I didn't want to live there but I had nowhere else. I took 30 to 40 paracetamol and still woke up in the morning. I used to get a hiding off him if I pushed it or did anything wrong.

"We didn't intend to kill anyone. I feel sorry for Liz and her kids as well. We both stabbed her I don't know what, when or how. I just went mental, an absolute nutter."

Seviour burst into tears as he took the witness stand on Friday claiming he could not remember the incidents on May 6 despite telling police in interview he could recall taking the knives and "must have stabbed Lizzie as knives were flying around".

He said his brother Jason had told inmates at Horfield Prison that he played no part in the butchering of Miss Cooper. Feeling double-crossed and betrayed Seviour told the jury how admissions made to police were in fact false memories dictated by his brother.

The prosecuting barrister, Christopher Clark, QC, said Seviour blatantly used the 25cm long Lion Sabatier knife in the attack and used it with such force he caused fatal internal injuries slitting his left thumb tendon as he tried to pull the knife out of Miss Cooper's body. Lee then used the 25cm machete-style knife to cause the slashing injuries.

He said: "You knew perfectly well that you stabbed Lizzie Cooper nine times in the back and shoulders. You stabbed a gaping wound on the left front side of her neck, didn't you? In the frenzy you were stabbing her again and again and again. And ever since you did those unspeakable things you have been trying to blot them out of your memory.

"You were thinking you would use every means possible to get to Kevin York to kill him as well. You were in such a frenzied blood-lust that you broke the door handle in an effort to get to him."

Labelling the double murder attempt as an "act of evil", Mr Clark said Seviour's crocodile tears were a blatant smoke screen but the evidence clearly pointed towards his involvement in the murderous attack on Miss Cooper and the desperate armed pursuit of Mr York.

He said: "In the words of Jason Lee they went mental. Seviour stabbed and stabbed and stabbed again with those lethal weapons. They left Miss Cooper a bleeding corpse."

Seviour's barrister Richard Smith, QC, said two kitchen knives found by a breakfast bar could have been the ones used by Seviour, who dropped the weapons on the floor after seeing Lee launching into a knife attack on Mr York.

He said Lee had a reason for feeling rage because of the sexual abuse but Seviour had proven himself in the past to prefer diffusing situations of potential violence rather than becoming involved in them.

John Royce, QC, representing Lee, said Mr York had "grossly abused a position of trust" and said the attack by Lee was fuelled by years of suffering and torment at the hands of his gay lover.

The brothers were sentenced to eight years for the attempted murder of Kevin York with the sentence running concurrently with their life sentence for murder. Judge Kay will recommend a minimum release date to the Home Secretary within the next four weeks.