Anita Rose: Man accused of murder of mum-of-six dog walker murder appears in court

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a mother-of-six who was found unconscious after taking her dog for a walk.

Roy Barclay, 55, appeared before magistrates in Ipswich on Wednesday, where he was charged with the murder of Anita Rose, 57.

Ms Rose was found with serious injuries at around 6.30am on 24 July on a dog-walking track in Brantham in Suffolk, and died four days later in hospital.

She had left her home at about 5am to walk her springer-spaniel Bruce, said Suffolk Police, on a route that she took regularly.

She was discovered injured by a cyclist who raised the alarm. A pink jacket she had been wearing that morning was missing and her dog's lead was wrapped around her legs.

Barclay spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and that he is of no fixed abode, as he appeared in court.

He was not asked to enter a plea during the two-minute hearing.

He later appeared before Judge Martyn Levett at Ipswich Crown Court in a separate hearing.

The judge set a provisional trial date of 27 May 2025.

He remanded Barclay in custody, and fixed a further case management hearing for January 31 when he said the defendant would be asked for his plea.

Suffolk Police said it had also referred itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, over previous contact with Barclay.

Ms Rose's death sparked a three-month investigation by Suffolk Police, which included her daughter appearing on Crimewatch Live and the charity Crimestoppers offering a £20,000 reward for information leading to her killer being caught.

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