A PENSIONER who was found guilty of four murders in Pembrokeshire has begun an attempt to appeal against his convictions.

Former farm labourer John William Cooper was jailed for life for the brutal slaying of brother and sister Richard and Helen Thomas at Scoveston in 1985 along with the coast path ‘executions’ of husband and wife Peter and Gwenda Dixon some four years later.

Cooper had always denied the offences but was found guilty by a jury in Swansea in May after an eight-week trial.

The jury was shown evidence revealed by modern forensic techniques – including DNA evidence – which had not been available to the original investigations.

On Wednesday Cooper began a renewed application for permission to appeal against the murders.

Cooper’s defence team argued that the trial jury was profoundly misdirected by the judge in his summing up in relation to evidence used to convict Cooper in a previous trial.

The case was being heard by the Criminal Court of Appeal sitting at Cardiff Crown Court.

The Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge said he would reserve judgement on the appeal application until October 31.