Man Bailed Over Murder

31 March 2011, 14:07 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A man's been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of murdering an elderly woman whose body was found in woodland, police said.

The body of 78-year-old Brenda James was found by specialist police search teams on the sprawling Goodwood Estate near Chichester, West Sussex, last Thursday (March 25th).

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said a 46-year-old man, from Ipswich, Suffolk, who was arrested on Sunday night has been released on bail until May 19 pending further inquiries.

Mrs James's son Neale James, 50, of Vinnetrow Road, Chichester, has already been charged with her murder.

He was remanded in custody when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court yesterday and will appear at the same court for a plea hearing on June 3.

Close friends reported the pensioner missing last Tuesday following concern that she had not been in touch for several days.

Acting on information given to them, police started scouring the Goodwood Estate and found her body on Thursday afternoon.

A post-mortem examination revealed she died from a "head injury caused by a weapon".

Mrs James, who lived at Lakeside Caravan Park in Chichester, was described as extremely popular with a wide circle of friends whom she met regularly to play bridge and enjoy other hobbies.

In a statement released through police last week, her daughter Nicole James said her family had been left "devastated" by her death.

She added:

"Her untimely death has been a shock to us all and we are at a loss for words to describe how we feel. We miss her."