Son charged with murdering ‘lovely' mother outside village home
A man accused of murdering his 72-year-old mother outside her home has appeared in court.
Daniel Cook, 39, allegedly killed Ellen Cook, a retired teacher, on Sunday evening.
Police were called to Biddle Road in Littlethorpe, Leicestershire, where Mrs Cook was found lying fatally injured in the street.
She was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Mrs Cook had lived in the same semi-detached home with her husband Russ, 76, since the 1980s.
The couple had three children – two daughters and a son.
Mr Cook appeared at Leicester magistrates' court on Tuesday, when he was remanded into custody.
A family member, who did not want to be named, told the Daily Mail: 'Ellen was a lovely woman. She was enjoying her retirement. They had three children – two beautiful girls and one boy.'
Another neighbour said Mrs Cook had recently become a grandmother and was helping to look after her granddaughter.
'I would see her taking the little girl down to the swings. She was looking after the girl during the day while her daughter was at work,' one said.
Mr Cook did not enter any pleas and is due to appear at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday.
Leicestershire Police said Mrs Cook was set to be formally identified later this week and officers were supporting the family.
Det Chief Insp Mark Sinski said it was an 'isolated incident' as he appealed for witnesses.
He said: 'I appreciate that the nature of the incident may cause some concern among residents in the area.
'However, I would like to reassure them that this is an isolated incident and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
'If there is anyone who hasn't yet spoken to police and may have information connected to this incident, I would urge you to please get in contact with us, as what you saw or heard may be of significance to our investigation.
'We would also like to speak to anyone who may have captured video footage of the incident. We have set up a portal for people to upload any relevant footage.'
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