Teresa Wishart, 80, was discovered inside her home in Liverpool with fatal head injuries on Thursday last week
A church-going great grandmother was bludgeoned to death by a burglar in her own home, it was alleged yesterday.
Teresa Wishart, 80, was discovered with fatal head injuries last Thursday.
And Charles Stapleton, 51, appeared in court yesterday charged with her murder.
Mrs Wishart had lived at the house in Kirkby, Liverpool, for the past 50 years and regularly attended mass at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, in nearby Northwood.
Her family described her as a popular figure who was ‘much loved and respected’ in the local community.
It is understood one of Mrs Wishart’s daughters discovered her mother’s body after she popped round to check on her when she couldn’t get an answer on the phone.
A post-mortem examination found the mother-of-four had been killed by blunt force trauma to the head.
Stapleton lived just yards away from Mrs Wishart, apparently having moved into a property which backed on to her garden with his partner about eight months ago.
He was arrested on Friday and detectives spent two days questioning him, before he was charged with murder and burglary on Sunday.
Officers believe she was killed in a burglary gone wrong and have charged Charles Stapleton, 51, a nearby neighbour, with her murder
The defendant frowned and shook his head during the hearing yesterday at Liverpool Crown Court. He is yet to enter any pleas to the charges but the court heard he denies any wrongdoing.
In a statement, Mrs Wishart’s children – two sons and two daughters – said they had been left ‘devastated and heartbroken’ by her violent death.
‘Our mum [had] lived in the same house in Kirkby since 1967, after moving there from Liverpool city centre,’ they said.
It is understood one of Mrs Wishart’s daughters found her after being unable to reach her on the phone
‘Along with our dad Christie, she brought up her four children. Her passion in life was her children, her faith and her home. She took great pride in her house, keeping it in perfect condition, which extended to the road outside.
‘We as a family, including her grandchildren and great grandchildren, are devastated and heartbroken by this senseless act of violence.
‘An innocent pensioner should have been safe and secure to live out the latter years of her life in the peace and comfort of her own home she worked so hard on.’
Scores of tributes have been posted online to the great-grandmother, who had lived alone since the death of her husband aged 59 in 1996.
In a post on Facebook, her elder daughter, Lesley Wishart, 56, said the family were struggling to understand what had happened but were taking comfort in the kind tributes they had received from friends and neighbours.
‘We are all devastated,’ she said. ‘It’s totally surreal. Everyone’s kind wishes are a great comfort.’
Granddaughter Dominique Wishart also posted: ‘We are all still trying to come to terms with this horrendous news, my nana was very well thought of within her local community.
Shocked friends and family have been leaving floral tributes outside her terraced home where she was described as a popular woman who was well known in the neighbourhood
‘We are just numb and angry at every new drop of information we get from the police, but we are mainly just focusing on trying to stay strong and support each other.’
Floral tributes were left outside the pensioner’s terraced home by shocked friends and neighbours.
One local said: ‘She’s been here for years. Everybody knows her in the area. She’s well respected. It’s a complete shock. She was lovely.’
Another local laying flowers outside yesterday said: ‘For that to happen in her own home, it’s absolutely terrible.
‘Imagine finding your mum like that, it’s something you would never get over.’
Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, the recorder of Liverpool, refused to grant Stapleton bail and adjourned the case until January.
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