Elswick woman in court accused of murdering popular pensioner John Hardy
by Rob Kennedy · ChronicleLiveA woman has appeared in court accused of killing popular pensioner John Hardy.
The 68-year-old, who was known to locals as 'Limpy John', died after an alleged attack at a home on Sceptre Place, in Elswick, Newcastle. Police say he suffered injuries "consistent with being caused by a bladed article".
Brenda Heslop, 62, also of Sceptre Place, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court charged with murder. The charge was not put to her and a timetable for the case was set out. A trial date with a time estimate of around five days has been set for March 24 next year.
Judge Paul Sloan KC told Heslop, who appeared in court via a video-link from HMP Low Newton: "I'm adjourning your case for trial and the trial has already been fixed for March 24 next year.
"There will be further pre-trial hearings before that date and you will attend those hearings via a court prison video-link in exactly the same way you have attended today's hearing.
"If you are fit to plead and stand trial you will be required to provide a defence statement setting out your defence to this allegation. If you are fit and have committed any offence arising out of this allegation, the sooner you tell the court, the better for you, the more credit you will receive, the less severe the punishment will be.
"The longer you leave it to tell the court if you have committed an offence, the worse it will be for you, the more severe the sentence will be."
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