Boy aged 14 charged with woman's murder

A 14-year-old boy has been remanded in custody charged with the murder of a woman who was found dead after a fire at her home.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court today accused of killing Jacqueline Bartlam.

The body of the 47-year-old was discovered after a blaze at her home in Georgia Drive, Redhill, Nottingham, in the early hours of Easter Monday.

A post-mortem examination carried out by a Home Office pathologist found she had died of head injuries.

The boy, who was this morning sent straight from magistrates in Nottingham to appear at the Crown Court in the afternoon, was remanded to secure local authority accommodation, a Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said.

He is due to appear in court again on June 9.

The force spokesman said a cordon remained in place around the fire-damaged property, although a wider cordon in the surrounding area has since been lifted.