80-year-old man appears in court charged with murdering wife

An 80-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife.

Alan Sharp, of Tolworth , south-west London , is accused of killing his 80-year-old wife, Jenny, at the home they shared.

Police were called at around 9.30am on Friday to their address in Raeburn Avenue after Mrs Sharp was found unresponsive, the Metropolitan Police said.

She was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Appearing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court dressed in grey, Sharp spoke only to confirm his name, age and address during the short hearing.

His case was sent to the Old Bailey , where he will appear for a bail application hearing on Tuesday.

The grey-haired defendant, who was said to be hard of hearing, was assisted in the glass-fronted dock by an appropriate adult.

Sharp was arrested at the scene on Friday, and an investigation was launched. He was charged with murder on Saturday.

A post-mortem examination took place on Saturday and gave the cause of death as “manual compression of the neck”, Scotland Yard said.

A police spokesperson said previously: “This is a terribly sad case. The family are being supported by specialist officers and we request their privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time.”