Una Crown: Man, 69, appears in court charged with former postmistress's murder in 2013

A 69-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a former postmistress who was stabbed to death before her house was set on fire 11 years ago.

Una Crown, 86, was found dead in the hallway of her home following the blaze in Wisbech in January 2013.

While her death was initially treated as an accident, a post-mortem examination later found she had been stabbed in the neck and chest before the fire.

David Newton, of Magazine Close, Wisbech, was arrested on Monday and was later charged with murder.

He wore a brown woollen jumper and black-rimmed glasses as he appeared in the dock at Cambridge Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, speaking only to confirm his name and address.

The hearing lasted only a minute before Newton was told his case would be sent to Cambridge Crown Court where he would first appear on 18 April.

The 69-year-old, who lived just one road away from Mrs Crown's home, was remanded in custody.

Mrs Crown, a widow, was found by a family member lying in the hallway of her home in Magazine Lane in a pool of blood.

Police originally suspected the pensioner had accidentally set herself alight while using her cooker.

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