Wirral pensioner ‘driven to death’ by teen yobs

May 19 2010 by Luke Traynor, Birkenhead News

Wirral pensioner ‘driven to death’ by teen yobs

A WIRRAL pensioner died moments after chasing teenage yobs who had tormented him for years.

John Cooper, 67, collapsed in an alleyway at the side of his home in Moreton at around 7pm on Wednesday.

He suffered a massive heart attack before being rushed to Arrowe Park Hospital where he died.

Merseyside Police have launched an investigation into the events leading to the pensioner’s death.

The News can reveal the catalogue of harassment Mr Cooper suffered at the hands of the gang, some as young as 11 years old.

Over the three years, yobs:

poured petrol over his immaculately-kept back garden, protected only by a very low wooden fence, setting it on fire;

regularly ran across his bungalow roof and screamed obscenities through his letterbox;

hurled apples and other fruit at his house as he sat inside.

It came to a head last week when cruel youths torched a scarecrow in his garden.

Exasperated, the 67-year-old emerged from his Wirral Partnership Homes bungalow on Wednesday, camera and mobile phone in hand, to pursue his tormentors.

Mr Cooper chased them down the adjacent alleyway taking photographs of them, to be used as evidence, as they ran off. But, walking back to his bungalow, he suffered an apparent cardiac arrest and dropped to the floor.

Steve Griffiths, whose daughter discovered the victim unconscious, tried to resuscitate the pensioner for seven minutes until the ambulance arrived.

He described how one of Mr Cooper’s eyes was very badly swollen and there was blood on his forehead.

The joiner said: “I did my best, I tried to keep him alive. My daughter had turned him over on to his back, and one eye was open, the other was closed.

“It looked to me like he’d been assaulted.”

Merseyside Police said they were satisfied no attack had taken place, and detectives believe Mr Cooper’s injuries were consistent with a fall.

A post mortem examination was carried out which ruled the victim died of natural causes.

It appeared the victim did manage to take pictures of some of the yobs, which have been studied by detectives.

Using those images, officers were able to locate three teens they wanted to speak to and question them. A force spokeswoman insisted they had not been arrested or interviewed under caution, although they are likely to be quizzed again.

Close friend and neighbour Brian Walker told how Mr Cooper had been a long-standing target for the yobs.

He said: “John had a terrible time. They would keep coming back to give him hassle as he wouldn’t accept it.

“They have ransacked the woman’s garden next door to John, ripping up her plants, breaking furniture. They’d run across the four roofs.

“John was only in my house on Tuesday, the day before it happened, having a cup of tea. We were talking about getting his barbecue set up and watching the World Cup together.

“John was very proud of his garden. It looked perfect. It’s very sad. It’s going to get to a stage where people take the law into their own hands.”