Two thieves murdered a pensioner and dumped his body in an abandoned mine then made it look like a cycling accident , a court heard today . Kevin Cooper and Trewen Kevern allegedly beat David Alderson and left him to drown , before using his keys to steal £40,000 from a safe where he also kept a haul of guns . Police originally thought that the 72-year-old victim - a keen cyclist - had died as a result of falling from his bike , because he was dressed in lycra at the time . Killed : David Alderson was found dead in an abandoned copper mine in January last year . But Truro Crown Court heard that Kevern , 22 and Cooper , 34 - two cousins whose relatives were close to Mr Alderson - lured him to a disused mine at Wheal Maid near Carharrack in Devon and killed him in January last year . Prosecutor Martin Meeke QC told the jury : 'David Alderson was beaten about the head , possibly until he was unconscious . His body was dragged to a pond into which he was dumped face down . 'In the pond he drowned . “ Whether his head was forced down into the water we can not be sure . The only survivors were these defendants. ” ' Trial : Kevin Cooper is accused of murdering Mr Alderson alongside his cousin Trewen Kevern . Cooper and Kevern then went to the victim 's flat in Falmouth and used his stolen keys to steal £40,000 in cash which he kept in a safe . Mr Meeke said of Mr Alderson : ' ” He was a keen cyclist and frequently to be seen around Falmouth on a racing bike . He often wore cycling shoes and leggings even when he was not on his bike . ' “ He was wearing such an outfit when his body was found in the pond . It was at first thought that he had a cycling accident . ' “ Cycling was not his only interest . Another interest was guns . He had a collection of guns . All the guns were licensed and were legally held by David Alderson . There were ten of them there. ” . 'He was a member of the Land ’ s End Shooting Club and he had a substantial amount of ammunition at his flat –- the guns and ammo were held in two different safes in his flat . ' The jury heard that Mr Alderson , who kept the keys to his flat , car and safe on a cord round his neck , was 'not short of cash ' and had once withdrawn more than £43,000 in £50 notes from his local bank . He was planning to buy a third safe for 'something highly illegal ' , believed to be two unlicensed guns , the court was told . Kevern 's sister Tammy lived in a flat below Mr Alderson , and grew close to the pensioner before his death , calling him 'granddad ' , jurors heard . Discovery : Mr Alderson 's body was found at the Wheal Maid mine in Cornwall . Mr Alderson gave Tammy a £1,000 gift and changed the terms of his will to leave his estate to her instead of his own estranged children . Mr Meeke said that on the night of his death , Cooper had lured Mr Alderson to the disused copper mine by making him think he was collecting the illegal guns he wanted . After they killed him , Cooper and Kevern made up a cover story about robbing a travellers ' site in order to hide the truth from their family , the court heard . Both defendants deny murder . The trial continues . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
David Alderson , 72 , was found dead in a Cornish copper mine last January . Police thought he had died in a cycling accident but Kevin Cooper and Trewen Kevern and now accused of murdering him . Court hears they lured victim to mine by offering to sell him illegal guns . Score: 7