Graeme Jarman in court over murder of Judith Richardson
A man accused of killing a Northumberland pensioner has appeared in court.
Graeme Jarman, 47, of County Durham, is accused of the murder of Judith Richardson, 77, whose battered body was found in her Hexham home last month.
Mr Jarman, of Delves Lane, Consett, did not enter a plea during the Newcastle Crown Court hearing.
The case was adjourned until 9 December, with a provisional trial date set for February next year.
Mr Jarman was arrested earlier this month in North Yorkshire after the discovery of Miss Richardson's body in the hallway of her home in St Wilfrid's Road in Hexham on 19 August.
Police said the pensioner had suffered a "brutal attack".
Her handbag was found dumped in a bin 25 miles away in Newcastle.
A post-mortem examination revealed she died from head injuries and a hammer, which police said was the murder weapon, was found near her house.