The wife of an ex-UKIP councillor and retired Royal Marine died from sustained compression of the neck, a court heard today.
Stephen Searle, 64, is accused of murdering 62-year-old Jessie Anne Searle at their £400,000 detached home in Stowmarket, Suffolk, on Saturday.
Emergency services were called to the scene at around 10.20pm, but the grandmother was pronounced dead by paramedics shortly after they arrived.
Stephen Searle, 64, is accused of murdering his wife Anne (left) at their home in Suffolk
Mr Searle was a UKIP councillor for Suffolk County Council until this year. He is pictured with the party’s former leader Nigel Farage
Mother-of-three Mrs Searle suffered a cardiac arrest and a court heard today that the confirmed cause of death was sustained compression of the neck.
Former Royal Marines commando Searle, who sold poppies for the British Legion, was arrested at the couple’s home on Saturday night.
He was charged with the murder in the early hours of Tuesday and appeared before Ipswich Magistrates’ Court the same day.
Searle was due to appear before Ipswich Crown Court today but was not present for the short hearing due to problems on the roads, the judge was told.
Judge Martyn Levett set a provisional trial date for June 25 and adjourned the case for a further case management hearing on May 21.
Searle, of Stowmarket, Suffolk, who is defended by Steven Dyble, will be remanded in custody until the next hearing at Ipswich Crown Court.
Police at the couple’s home in Stowmarket after Mrs Searle was found dead on Saturday
Police on patrol at the scene in Stowmarket on Sunday, after Mrs Searle was found dead
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.