London - A woman accused of murdering her war veteran father faces further charges of claiming his pension for more than a decade after his death, a court heard on Thursday.
Barbara Coombes allegedly killed 87-year-old Kenneth Coombes 12 years ago and buried his body in the back garden of the home they shared.
The former soldier is believed to have fought in North Africa with the Royal Artillery in the Second World War.
Coombes, 63, is charged with his murder – said to have occurred on January 8, 2006 – and with preventing a lawful and decent burial of a body.
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She is also accused of fraud by false representation, and obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.
Forensic investigators now back at the scene here on Matlock Road in Reddish. pic.twitter.com/tMhhhbCSvk
— Paul Britton. (@PaulBrittonMEN) January 10, 2018
Coombes’s alleged fraud involved sending official letters to claim her father’s state pension over 11 years between January 15, 2007, and January 10, 2018. The deception charge relates to her claiming an allowance for being his carer between January 7, 2006, and January 15, 2007.
Murder investigation continues in Reddish, Stockport. pic.twitter.com/SuVqhcTUdi
— Paul Britton. (@PaulBrittonMEN) January 10, 2018
The Coombes’s family home in Reddish, Greater Manchester, remained cordoned off on Friday night as further forensic searches were carried out. Coombes, who has a daughter Islay, 29, appeared at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday – and faces a further hearing at the city’s crown court on Friday.
The scene at Matlock Road, Reddish, this morning as police continue to question a woman, 63, on suspicion of murder. pic.twitter.com/sIxndn9qCx
— Paul Britton. (@PaulBrittonMEN) January 10, 2018
Deputy District Judge David Scanlon remanded her in custody, and no application for bail was made.