Family of murdered Blackburn mum pay tribute
A 30 year old man appeared in court this morning - charged with murder
The family of a woman murdered in Blackburn have today (Wednesday, March 8) paid tribute to her.
Lancashire Police were called around 7.55am on Saturday (March 4) to reports an assault had occurred the previous evening (Friday, March 3) in the Mill Hill area. A short time later the body of a woman was sadly found at an address on Primrose Terrace.
The woman was later identified as Charlotte Wilcock, 31, from Blackburn. She died as a result of stab wounds.
In a statement, Charlotte’s family said:
“Charlotte’s death has left us devastated and truly heartbroken.
“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of Charlotte. She was a devoted mother who was loved by many – she was our world, our love and our life.
“Thank you for all the messages of love offering condolences. It shows what a truly magnificent person she was and how she touched so many people’s hearts.
“As a family we are grieving and in shock. The hurt and pain we are suffering is unimaginable.
“We ask for privacy in order to try and come to terms with our loss.”
Anthony Stinson, 30, of Queen Victoria Street, Blackburn, was charged with Miss Wilcock’s murder and appeared at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court on Monday followed by an appearance at Preston Crown Court this morning (Wednesday 8th March).
He has been remanded in custody with a trial date set for August 2023.
Three more men – aged 32 and 24 from Blackburn and aged 31 from Clitheroe – were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and have since been released under investigation.
Detectives are continuing to appeal to anyone with information about the investigation.
Det Ch Insp Mark Haworth-Oates, of Lancashire Police’s Force Major Investigation Team, said:
“Our thoughts remain with Charlotte’s loved ones at this very sad and difficult time. These are tragic circumstances and we continue to support them as they come to terms with their loss.
“We do not believe that Charlotte and the alleged offender were known to each other and this is being treated as a stranger attack. We are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death at this time.
“While we have arrested and charged a man, we remain keen to speak to anyone who can assist our enquiries.
“I would appeal for people to come forward if they saw any unusual or suspicious behaviour on Friday evening or Saturday morning in the Primrose Terrace area.
“Our enquiries suggest after the incident the alleged offender may have travelled on foot across Blackburn into the Knuzden area, between Friday evening and Saturday morning. We are keen to speak to anyone who may have information about this.”