A ‘COWARDLY’ man who murdered a homeless man with a knife bought in Taunton has been jailed for a minimum term of 20 years.
Brian Jewell used a £10 camping knife to kill 45-year-old Stephen Cook with one stab wound that punctured his heart and led to him bleeding to death.
A friend lent the dying man his mobile so he could make a final call to his daughter Danni before losing consciousness.
In a personal statement at the end of the trial at Exeter Crown Court she described her father as "the kindest man I ever knew" who "put everyone before himself and would have done anything for anyone".
She told Jewell: “You are a coward."
Jewell, 19, stabbed Mr Cook in a street fight in Sidwell Street, Exeter, in January this year.
Mr Cook had slashed his face with a broken bottle. Jewell opened a lock knife inside his pocket and pulled it out.
Mr Cook staggered into a shop and collapsed, retaining consciousness just long enough to make the farewell call to his student daughter.
Jewell, who was living rough, and a friend had been seen running out of Marks and Spencer food hall with two shoplifted bottles of vodka minutes before the killing.
He claimed he feared acted in self-defence but the jury found him guilty of murder last month.
He also admitted stabbing his own father in 2022 and headbutting an officer at Exeter Prison days after the murder.
Jailing him for life, Mr Justice Saini, told him: “Although he (Mr Cook) had a troubled life in certain respects, he brought light to the lives of his family members."
The judge reduced the minimum term from 25 years because Jewell had no intent to kill, the attack was not pre-meditated, there had been provocation, the stabbing was excessive self-defence, Jewell’s age, his troubled background and his remorse.
During the trial Jo Martin KC, prosecuting, said Jewell got a friend to buy the knife from Taunton Leisure the previous day.
Miss Martin added: "As Mr Cook went to hit him, Jewell can be seen to take his arm back and with the knife in his hand, bring it forward in a sweeping motion towards Mr Cook. There was no warning by Jewell to Mr Cook to back off because he had a knife."
Sean Brunton KC, defending, said; "It was a spontaneous outburst in very trying circumstances. It is a tragedy for Mr Cook’s family and leaves Brian Jewell utterly alone in the world."
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