A WOMAN accused of murdering her mum in Worcester is due to enter her plea tomorrow.

Jessica Crane is due to appear at Worcester Crown Court tomorrow for a plea and trial preparation hearing before Judge James Burbidge QC. This is usually the hearing where the indictment is formally put to the defendant by the clerk of the court and they enter a plea.

We reported in March how Crane appeared over videolink at the court from HMP Eastwood Park accused of the fatal stabbing of 69-year-old Janet Mason.

On that occasion the court heard that she could face trial in January but first had to be seen by a psychiatrist.

The 49-year-old defendant of Hillside Close, Worcester, is accused of murder following the death of Ms Mason in Green Lane, off Rainbow Hill on March 9. The defendant appeared on a screen in court three last time, wearing a Covid mask and spoke only to confirm her name and that she could hear clearly.

Richard Atkins appeared for the Crown, also over link, and Nicholas Berry appeared in person on behalf of Crane. The case was heard by Judge James Burbidge QC, Worcester’s most senior judge and the only sitting Worcester judge able to hear murder cases. Also appearing in court was a probation officer, an instructing solicitor and a detective.

Mr Berry said: “We wish to explore the mental health of Miss Crane by the commissioning of a psychiatric report.”

Enquiries have already been made with Dinesh Maganty, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who was due to see the defendant on April 29 this year.

The defence expressed the hope that this report be available by May 27 this year.

A plea and trial preparation hearing was identified for June 7 but did not go ahead and was adjourned until tomorrow.

Judge Burbidge, who described the case as an ‘internal family issue’, asked for a summary of the issues in the case and added: “There is no contest that it was your lay client who caused the death?”

Mr Berry answered ‘no’. A trial date of January 31 next year was also identified. Any trial is expected to last two weeks.

Crane was remanded in custody until the next hearing