Cheryl Hooper murder case: I wanted to do 'honourable thing', says husband who turned gun on himself

Andrew Hooper, 46, known as Jack, denies murdering Cheryl Hooper on January 26, in Newport, last year.

He is alleged to have callously shot the 51-year-old in front of her daughter outside her new home, in Farmers Gate, in a fit of rage and jealousy when she left him. He then turned the shotgun on himself.

Cross-examining Hooper for a second day Mr David Mason QC, prosecuting, asked the defendant: “Why didn’t you stay at the scene, knowing that you had made a terrible mistake, and help Cheryl?”

Hooper replied that he wanted to kill himself.

Mr Mason said: “We know that Mr Hooper, but the question I asked was why didn’t you stay to call the emergency services to help your wife whom you say that you still loved?”

Hooper replied: “I panicked and left to do the honourable thing and kill myself.”

The case so far:

• Shotgun went off by accident, says accused husband

• I just wanted to scare her, says accused husband

• Jury is shown old shotgun

• Husband accused of murdering Cheryl Hooper in Newport 'was in financial difficulties'

• Court hears of neighbour's terror after Newport mother was shot

• 'He had murder in his eyes': Cheryl Hooper's daughter tells court of shotgun terror on Newport street

• 'Cold-blooded' farmer shot wife in front of teenage daughter outside Newport home, court told

Mr Mason said: “You left to do the honourable thing and left your wife there dying because you had deliberately shot her in the neck.”

Hooper replied: “I knew she had been shot. I didn’t know that she was dead or dying.”

Mr Mason asked: “If you didn’t know, why did you think it was necessary to kill yourself?”

Hooper replied: “I didn’t think that after she was shot, she would have wanted to try and save our marriage.”

Interest

He also admitted that he was a “jealous” man, but denied that after they got married in 2016 he hardly let Mrs Hooper go out in the evening.

It was also put to him that he could not “simply accept Cheryl leaving” him in December 2017.

Mr Mason also said: “You could not accept that she has started to show interest in somebody else. You couldn’t handle that.”

Hooper, 46, replied that he did not accept that assertion. He also denied that he was involved with another woman at the time of the incident.

Mr Mason asked: “Was there somebody else in your life at this time?”

Hooper replied: “No”.

Mr Mason then asked him: “Who was Tina Robey?”

Hooper replied: “A friend.”

Mr Mason asked what he and Ms Robey were talking about during a 45-minute phone call that he made to her the day before the shooting.

Hooper replied: “Her advice to me was to accept that Cheryl needed space and I should get used to living on my own.”

The prosecution alleges that Hooper, of Guild Lane, Sutton, near Newport, murdered his wife following a confrontation in a pub in Wolverhampton earlier that night. He had seen her there with friends including a man he accused her of having an affair with.

The jury heard that he had installed a tracking device to her car to find out where she was going.

Hooper is unable to speak due to severe facial injuries and communicates using a keyboard.

The trial continues at Birmingham Crown Court.