Court date set for man charged with attempted murder of pensioner in his 80s in Hockwold, near Lakenheath and Brandon

A crown court date for a man charged with the attempted murder on a man in his 80s, has been set.

Ashley Francis, 26, of Whittington Hill, King’s Lynn, appeared before Norwich Magistrates’ Court yesterday following an incident in Hockwold, near Lakenheath and Brandon, on Thursday.

Police officers were called to the Norfolk village after reports that a pensioner had been stabbed in the neck, just before 9am.

A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning – before he was charged with attempted murder.

The victim was initially taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, but later transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for treatment – he remains in a critical but stable condition.

Magistrates have committed the case to Norwich Crown Court with a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 2.