Innocent man killed as hysteria takes hold

Paul Cooper was never short of friends in the area of Manchester where he grew up. He was known for his devotion to his dog, Blue, an interest in cookery and an optimistic outlook, despite a motorcycle crash that meant he used a walking stick.

But a positive contribution to community life counts for little when a neighbourhood starts feeding on fears of crime and takes the law into its own hands.

A murder investigation was under way this week after a gang of men near Cooper's home at Heywood wrongly convinced themselves he was a paedophile and beat him to death at his flat.

Detectives were forced to stress Cooper's innocence after being hampered in their investigation by locals who are unwilling to give evidence because they believe he was a sex offender.

Cooper's disability hampered his attempts to defend himself against the attack by several young men, which took place about 11.45pm last Friday at his flat in Walton Close, a concrete-clad block near Heywood town centre.

He was subjected to a "brutal and prolonged" attack, detectives say, and was found with serious head injuries in his bathroom. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Fairfield General Hospital.

Despite the police's insistence that Cooper, 40, was an entirely innocent victim of "mistaken identity", the climate of bigotry and vitriol that contributed to his death was still palpable this week. "Some people deserve to be killed," said a drinker at the Starkey Arms pub before issuing an obscenity about Cooper and his dog.

Greater Manchester Police came across the same sentiment as they set about solving the crime. "We are trying to dispel the myth that has developed in the area that Paul was involved in paedophile activities," said Detective Chief Inspector Jeff Mahon of Greater Manchester Police.

"We have checked our records and there is no trace of anything of that nature. However, the myth appears to have led to tragic consequences. Paul was a nice lad who did not deserve to die."

Cooper's death appears to reflect the nationwide climate of suspicion and fear being fuelled by growing public concern over crime and punishment.

Rising hostility toward minority groups, clamour for tough sentences against offenders and a sinister desire for retribution are being driven by an increasingly prevalent right-wing agenda.

When the murder of Sarah Payne led the News of the World, four years ago, to publish the names and photographs of 50 people it claimed had committed child sex offences protesters circulated a list of 20 alleged sex offenders on the Paulsgrove estate in Portsmouth and proceeded to target them.

In that climate of suspicion, a female registrar was hounded from her South Wales home because neighbours confused "paediatrician" with "paedophile". A former sea captain from Grimsby, Humberside, who was cleared of paedophile offences, was murdered after his details were published in the local newspaper.

Cooper's life appears to have been carefree before the vigilantes began targeting him. Old schoolfriends from St Joseph's secondary, around the corner from his flat, attest to the fact that he was popular.

Some say he drank too much in adulthood but he spent most mornings doing chores for his mother and had many friends at the Starkey Arms and Navigation pubs in Heywood, where he drank and was known by many.

But his problems started when his brother was convicted of sexual offences. It is unclear whether the brother is still serving a sentence but locals suggest that Paul Cooper became the target of vigilantes some time ago and was on the receiving end of at least one severe attack.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that Cooper's brother was convicted of sexual offences in the past.

As community rumour and counter-rumour became detached from reality. Many became convinced that Cooper - not his brother - was the offender.

"I used to live in the flat above him and I knew about his brother," said Paul, an associate. "But others didn't. There might have been confusion about them.

"Paul was a good lad. He was liked and didn't deserve this."

"It wasn't the only attack of its kind," said a man who would only be known as Stephen, 42, a former schoolfriend of Cooper.

"There's a halfway house for prisoners at the top of this road and, when word got out that a paedophile was there, a mob hit that place, too."

Cooper's frail mother Patricia, who suffers from a heart condition, could see "no reason" for the attack.

"He was an easygoing, friendly man whose disability would have made it virtually impossible for him to defend himself," she said.

Police said two men in their 20s from Rochdale, Greater Manchester were arrested on suspicion of murder. One of the suspects, aged 24 was later released but the other man, 22, was still being questioned.

- INDEPENDENT