Tony King filmed himself bragging after killing Tommy Cooper's niece

Tony King recorded himself after killing Sabrina Cooper at her home in Connaught Road, Eastbourne, on December 18, saying: “I’ve just taken a life today.”

“The best thing I’ve done today.

“Nobody is not going to have an inkling of what I’ve done today.”

Hove Crown Court heard the 60-year-old will likely die in prison as he was sentenced to life with a minimum sentence of 23 years.

The court heard King stole money and identity documents from Sabrina who had just sold her house and family business Cooper's Magic Shops.

King had arranged to meet Sabrina for breakfast and to help her pack, the court was told.

The day before he murdered Sabrina, King posted a video on TikTok saying: “Watch out for my next magic trick.

“It’s going go be awesome.”

Amy Packham, prosecuting, told the court Sabrina lived above the shop she used to run in Eastbourne.

“On December 16 she completed on the sale of the property and had viewed another house in Eastbourne with her mother and had spoken with her family about the excitement of the new house and moving out of the town centre,” she said.

“£725,000 had been paid into her account on December 16 following the sale.

“On December 17 there was an exchange of messages between them asking him if he was free to help move boxes.”

The court heard King got to know Sabrina while she walked her dogs around Eastbourne.

He lived nearby and was a man-with-a-van for hire.

On December 18, Sabrina’s daughter Natasha went to check on her mother after she failed to answer the phone.

“She saw her lying on the floor in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs with her dogs around her,” Ms Packham said.

“Natasha shook her and shouted to wake up but ultimately she knew her mother was already dead.”

She was in a pool of her own blood and cold to the touch, the court heard.

Sabrina was recovering from an operation and the family initially believed she may have ruptured her wound.

Paramedics later found four stab wounds and called the police.

They found two used mugs in the sink and places set for two on the table.

All the cash, including £100 given to Sabrina by her mother Zena to have her nails done, was gone from her purse and identity documents were missing.

A candle was burning in the living room, Ms Packham said.

“CCTV showed Tony King arrived at the property at 8.05,” she said.

“A few minutes later, Sabrina returned with her dogs.

“Conversation with male heard on the audio from the CCTV.

“The male voice can be heard to say, in a forceful voice, ‘Get in, get it’.

“An hour later, the defendant walked away carrying an orange plastic bag.”

Police found the bloodied knife in the bag, hidden under King’s bed.

Told he was being arrested for murder, King said: “You’re having a laugh.”

During his first police interview King said he had a knife in his pocket for his own protection.

He told police he had trouble with a neighbour.

“All of a sudden the knife came out and he thrust it into her,” Ms Packham told the court.

“He said; ‘I just fucking took her life and to this day I don’t know why this happened. She had done nothing wrong’.

“He told police it just happened, it wasn’t intentional, he hadn’t planned anything.”

After the murder, King sent a message to Sabrina.

“He sent her after he killed her at 9.41; ‘Hope you’re OK girl, call you later’.

“He told police; ‘I think I know what I’d done then. I knew she wasn’t OK’,” Ms Packham said.

In 2008 King was jailed for ten years for importing Class A drugs.

Lewis Power for the defence said King was clearly an angry man who thought he had been cheated by the world.

“All he had said to me today was; ‘I can’t turn back the clock. I regret what I did. I’m ashamed by my guilt’.

“He will remain behind bars till his dying day.”

Psychiatric reports showed King has an “emerging personality disorder with emotionally unstable and narcissistic features”.

“He has enduring difficulties with drink and drugs,” said Mr Power.

“He says he does not know why he did it.

“He feels cheated in life, a victim of society, an inexorably angry man, unable to change his circumstances in life.”

Defensive injuries showed the ordeal Sabrina Cooper must have suffered and the torture of that day, Mr Power said.

Judge Christine Henson said Sabrina Cooper’s life had been taken cruelly and without any apparent motive.

She said there was no medical or psychological excuse for the murder.

“The doctors agreed you have personality disorder with narcissistic features, impacted by illegal drug use,” she said.

“This was a motiveless and senseless, violent act.

“You are fully cognisant and the strategies you employed are fully within your awareness,” the judge said.”

King has been on remand since the murder and will serve 22 years and 182 days before he is eligible for parole.

King, who will then be 83, showed no emotion.