A knifeman asked police if he could put socks on as he was arrested over the murder of a Midlands dad.

Body-worn video – which can be viewed above – captured the moment Brandon Byrne, 23, was confronted about the death of James Cook.

After initially interrupting to ask about socks, he turned to an officer and said: “Did he die?”

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Just hours earlier, Byrne had got into an argument with the father-of-three in a pub in Newark town centre.

Mr Cook aimed a headbutt at Byrne, who threw a punch before it turned into a brawl.

Byrne was incensed by the facial injury he received during the fight, and as they were kicked out of the pub, he went looking for retribution.

Byrne, who was already armed with a knife, hunted Mr Cook down.

CCTV showed Byrne walking slowly down Stodman Street on April 30 last year with a knife in his hand.

At around 11.50pm, he crossed paths with Mr Cook, who he chased to Castle Gate and stabbed.

Byrne kicked his 40-year-old victim in the head, before stabbing him a second time as he lay defenceless on the ground.

He then fled, and Mr Cook was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on May 1, 2025.

Byrne – who was 22 at the time – was tracked down by 4.09am, but went on to plead not guilty to murder.

However he belatedly pleaded guilty to the separate charge of possessing an offensive weapon in public.

Byrne, formerly of Winston Court, Newark, was found guilty of murder following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, which ran from April 13 to 30.

Judge Steven Coupland said Byrne was motivated by “anger and revenge” as he jailed him for life.

Byrne must serve a minimum of 23 years in prison, taking into account time served, before he can be considered for parole.

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard a victim impact statement from Mr Cook’s wife Adele.

She said: “James was the greatest dad and the greatest love of my life.

“He was my partner, my protector and my best friend. To my children, he was their hero.”

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Kimberley Priestley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “It’s been almost a year to the day since Brandon Byrne turned the lives of James Cook’s family upside down.

“They’ve been put through hell since he produced a knife and callously murdered their loved one with it that night on 30 April last year.

“That senseless decision came only minutes after the two men had a fight in a Newark pub which resulted in Byrne sustaining a facial injury.

“Byrne was clearly enraged by this and refused to let it go, instead deciding to hunt Mr Cook down and stab him to death in the street.

“If that disgraceful display of violence wasn’t bad enough, Byrne then made things even worse in the months that followed with his not guilty pleas.

“While the outcome of this trial and the sentencing that has now been passed will never bring Mr Cook back, our hope is that it will help his family as they continue to grieve.”