Relatives of Nottingham murderer sentenced for assisting him

Lee Cooper (pictured) was stabbed through the heart by Ethan Austin

Relatives of a killer who stabbed a man through the heart have been sentenced for helping him hide from police.

Ethan Austin attacked 28-year-old Lee Cooper with a samurai sword in Union Road, Nottingham city centre, on 14 September 2019.

The now 21-year-old was convicted of murder after a trial and jailed for life in March 2020.

On Wednesday, his father and sister appeared in court after pleading guilty to assisting an offender.

Nottinghamshire Police said Daniel Austin, 46, and Shelby Austin, 26, helped Ethan and "quickly plotted to try to help him evade justice".

The force said they drove him away from the crime scene and hid from detectives for nine days before he was eventually found at a house in Sumburgh Road, Clifton.

Ethan Austin was 19 when he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years

At Nottingham Crown Court, Daniel Austin, of Westleigh Road, Broxtowe, was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Police said he had picked up his son from Nottingham city centre after the stabbing and drove him to a house in Edwalton.

They said phone records showed Shelby had also been in touch with her father after the stabbing and assisted in helping her brother to avoid arrest.

Shelby, of Pyatt Street, The Meadows, was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Mr Cooper died at the scene near the Rose of England pub

Det Ch Insp Rob Routledge said: "This has been an incredibly upsetting time for Mr Cooper's family who lost a much-loved young man to a brutal murder.

"And while his killer is safely in jail, Ethan Austin's relatives heaped even more misery on the family by assisting him after the attack."

He praised the "tenacity" of officers who had helped build the case against Ethan Austin's relatives by scouring CCTV and ANPR cameras and telephone records.

Mr Cooper's family also commended the "hard work and commitment of the investigating team" and added: "The loss of our son, Lee, is beyond any words we could ever describe, however we are relieved that further justice has now been served on those who assisted in the harbouring of Ethan Austin for nine days prior to his arrest."