Ipswich: Campbell Cooper jailed for shopkeeper attack

Sentencing 27-year-old Campbell Cooper, Recorder Paul Garlick described the attack at the Stop Press Newsagents in Upper Brook Street as “horrifying” and said the graffiti on the Hope church and a memorial bench outside the Lucky 13 tattoo studio was “insensitive and offensive”.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Cooper, who was a fan of Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols, had daubed the words “Rotten” and “No hope” and “This church is a scam” on the walls and door of the Hope church.

He had also written “Rotten” on the walls of the NCP car park in Foundation Street, Ipswich and had sprayed “I love Rotten” on a bench outside the Lucky 13 tattoo studio which had been placed there by the brother of Dean Stansby following his murder in Ancaster Road, Ipswich in 2017.

The 27-year-old admitted a string of offences in Ipswich (Image: Suffolk police)

Ten days after spraying the graffiti on the bench, Cooper had gone back to Lucky 13 and apologised to the owner for his actions and said he was a fan of Johnny Rotten and that “Rotten” was his tag.

The studio owner said that if Cooper was sincere in his apology, he should hand himself in to the police and Cooper had gone to the police station the next day.

Charles Myatt, prosecuting, said that in September last year Cooper had attacked the owner of the Stop Press newsagents and an assistant after trying to leave with a bottle of vodka he couldn’t afford to pay for.

The assistant had two front teeth knocked out during the attack and couldn’t afford to have them replaced and the shop owner was left questioning his future as a shopkeeper following the incident.

Cooper, of no fixed address, admitted wounding, assault causing actual bodily harm, racially aggravated criminal damage and four offences of criminal damage.

Natasha Nair, for Cooper, said her client was genuinely remorseful.

She said he was a long standing drug addict but had tried to rehabilitate himself while he’d been in custody.