Man in court charged with jeweller's murder

A teenager appeared in court in Britain today charged with the murder of jeweller Marian Bates who was gunned down in her shop last September.

Peter Charles Williams, 18, was also accused of causing grievous bodily harm to her husband Victor in a robbery attempt on the elderly couple’s jewellery shop.

Williams faces a total of eight charges, including burglary and theft at other addresses.

Williams wore a blue and white striped sweatshirt, blue jeans and blue trainers in court today.

He was arrested on Wednesday and charged with murder last night. He told bench chairman David Richards that he was of no fixed address.

He was remanded in custody until January 30 to appear before Nottingham Crown Court on the jewellery shop charges and the three burglary counts. There was no application for bail.

He will appear again before magistrates in the city on February 6 on a charge of theft and of failing to surrender to bail.

Mrs Bates, a grandmother, died of gunshot wounds to the chest. Her 64-year-old husband and daughter Xanthe, 34, were injured in the attack on September 30.

Williams is accused of murder and robbery “jointly with a person as yet unknown“, a police spokeswoman said. Police are still hunting a second man.