Man charged with Bristol woman's murder

Barach Bandavad is accused of killing 58-year-old Judith Ege on June 30

A man, from Bristol, has appeared in court, charged with the murder of a woman in the city at the weekend.

Barach Bandavad, 38, is accused of killing 58-year-old Judith Ege on June 30. He appeared before Bristol Magistrates' Court today (Wednesday).

He faces a separate robbery charge, which he is alleged to have committed on the same day.

Detectives had made a public appeal for Bandavad following an incident at an address in Highbury Road, Horfield, Bristol, at around midday on Saturday.

Bandavad, from Bristol, was later found in the Southmead area of the city and arrested.

A post-mortem examination confirmed Judith Ege had been stabbed.

Her family has paid tribute to her, following her death. They say: "Judy touched the lives of everyone she met and left them feeling they were a better person for having met her. A gifted and talented special needs teacher she taught those children the rest of society had often written off. All of her working life was spent developing children with complex special needs. "Although retired such was her ability and talent that she was persuaded to come out of retirement to help in the restructuring of a special needs school in Kuwait where she would have been teaching special needs pupils and special needs teachers. She will be sorely missed by those children she taught and those she was going to teach."Family and friends were in abundance and despite a very challenging work life no birthdays, weddings or other celebration was ever missed or forgotten. She made time for everybody and was happiest when making other people happy. "Judy was a beautiful woman inside and outside who always looked on the positive side of life and always put the needs of others before her own."Investigations are ongoing and 35 year old Barach Bandavad has been charged with her murder. Bandavad, who was the ex partner of Judith Ege's step daughter appeared before Bristol magistrates this morning (Wednesday July 4th) where he was remanded into custody to appear at Bristol Crown Court on Friday July 6th.Detectives investigating this crime are continuing to appeal for information.