Northumberland woman, 72, appears in court charged with murdering husband

Janet Dunn, 72, of Beech Court in Darras Hall, Ponteland, appeared before Bedlington magistrates this morning accused of murdering her husband Anthony, 81.

She was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday.

Police attended the Dunn’s home at about 5.25pm on Tuesday (March 15) after receiving a report of concern for the welfare of a man at the address.

Emergency services also attended and found Mr Dunn, who was confirmed dead at the scene. His family have been made aware and are being offered support by specialist family liaison officers.

An investigation was immediately launched into the circumstances surrounding the death, which police believed to be suspicious, and his wife was subsequently charged.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Brooks, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is an awful case that has sadly resulted in Anthony’s death. Our thoughts are with his family as they attempt to come to terms with what has happened.

“We are committed to finding out exactly what happened in the moments before Anthony’s death, and a team of detectives have been carrying out a range of inquiries in the area over the last few days.

“I would like to thank the community for your patience and cooperation as we have carried out those inquiries, and would encourage anybody with concerns to speak to us.

“We understand that any incident such as this can cause shock within the community, but with a woman now charged, we would ask everyone to please avoid any speculation – both locally and on social media – that could jeopardise those proceedings.”

Anyone with information that can assist the investigation is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of Northumbria Police’s website or by calling 101 quoting log NP-20220315-0777.