Murder charge man’s mum wins mercy plea (From Worcester News)

Murder charge man’s mum wins mercy plea

7:30am Saturday 22nd December 2012 in News By Steve Mather

THE mother of a Worcester murder suspect is being allowed back into the city to spend Christmas with her seriously ill husband after winning a court plea.

Teresa Martin, who is accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice in the case of her son Daniel, has been on remand at a hostel in Dudley, West Midlands.

But when she applied at Worcester Crown Court for the bail condition to be varied, her barrister Sarah Buckingham, said she would be able to stay with her husband at a house vacated by their daughters. Martin, aged 44, of Rodborough Close, Warndon, Worcester, was arrested after her 23-year-old son Daniel, of Canterbury Road, Ronkswood, Worcester, was charged with the murder of 53-year-old Andrew Heath in a suspected arson attack at his first-floor flat in Chedworth Close, Warndon, in the early hours of December 14 last year.

Miss Buckingham said that the trial was due to start in April next year and Mrs Martin had been subjected to stringent bail conditions.

But since then, her husband Paul had suffered a brain bleed and had been treated at a Coventry hospital. His daughters Hayley and Stacey had been looking after him when he came back to Worcester and they were prepared to move out of their house to allow their mother and father to spend Christmas together. Alex Warren opposed the application on behalf of the Crown.

But Judge Robert Juckes QC granted the application for Mrs Martin to live at 41 Sadlers Walk, Blackpole, Worcester, from 6pm on Christmas Eve until midday on December 27.

She would have to observe a 24-hour curfew by wearing an electronic tag.