Trial date set for woman accused of burying father in garden
Barbara Coombes is accused of killing Kenneth Coombes 12 years ago
A Stockport woman accused of murdering her father and burying his body in her back garden will go on trial later this year.
Barbara Coombes is accused of killing Kenneth Coombes twelve years ago, as well as preventing his lawful and decent burial.
The 63-year-old, of Matlock Road, Reddish, made her first brief three-minute appearance at Manchester Crown Court on Friday.
Coombes, wearing black-rimmed spectacles and dark woolly jumper, spoke only to confirm her name and give her date of birth.
She faces the charge of murder, allegedly carried out on January 8th 2006, when Mr Coombes would have been in his late eighties, and preventing his burial between then and January 10th 2018.
She is also accused of fraud by false representation between January 15th 2007 and January 10th 2018, by dishonestly making a false representation, sending official letters in the name of Kenneth Coombes, intending to make a gain by claiming monies.
The final charge is obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception between January 7th 2006 and January 15th 2007, by making a false representation that she was a carer for Kenneth Coombes.
No pleas were entered on Friday.
Judge David Stockdale QC, Recorder of Manchester, remanded the defendant into custody until April 3rd, for a plea and trial preparation hearing ahead of a two-week trial starting on July 9th.
Coombes was first arrested on Sunday.
Human remains found in the garden have not yet been formally identified and the results of a Home Office post-mortem examination to establish cause of death has not been disclosed by Greater Manchester Police.