Retired teacher murdered at cottage

A retired schoolteacher has been found stabbed to death at an isolated riverside cottage in Britain.

West Mercia Police named the victim as 77-year-old widow Betty Yates, whose body was found near Bewdley, Worcestershire, on Wednesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Jamieson, who is leading the murder investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with Mrs Yates’s family at this sad time for them.

“Mrs Yates was subjected to a violent attack and we are determined to catch the person or people responsible.”

In a statement confirming her identity, police described Mrs Yates, who taught in the Wyre Forest area, as being well-known locally for her involvement with book-reading and walking clubs.

Mrs Yates, who was also a member of Bewdley Civic Society, had lived alone at the cottage, which sits at the foot of a wooded hillside, since the death of her husband seven years ago. He is named in reports as Raymond.

The pensioner, who celebrated her 77th birthday on December 28, is survived by a son and a daughter, who do not live locally.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.