Northumberland man James Rutherford appears in court charged with murder of 64-year-old Andrew Saint

A man accused of murder may face trial next year.
Andrew Saint.Andrew Saint.
Andrew Saint.

James Rutherford is charged with attacking 64-year-old Andrew Saint, who died three weeks after he was allegedly assaulted in Bedlington, Northumberland.

Rutherford, 37, has today made his first appearance at Newcastle Crown Court, via a video-link to HMP Durham.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The murder charge was not put to him but a provisional trial date was set for January 12 next year, with a time estimate of seven days.

He will appear in court for a further pre-trial hearing on September 1.

John Elvidge QC, defending, made no application for bail but said there is likely to be one.

Northumbria Police previously said Mr Saint was found with a serious head injury after emergency services were called to a home, on Pioneer Terrace, Bedlington, at around 7pm on February 23.

He was taken to hospital where he passed away on March 13.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rutherford, of Pioneer Terrace, Bedlington, was remanded in custody.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

If you can, please do pick up a copy when you are at the shops. Thank you for your support.