TIMOTHY Crook will claim historic media coverage of the deaths of his elderly parents will deny him a fair trial and ask to be heard in Nottingham.

The 50-year-old is accused of the brutal murder of his parents, Robert and Elsie, in July 2007, but concerns over his mental health mean he has been unable to plead to the charges, until now.

Since 2008, he has been detained at Rampton, the high security psychiatric hospital in Nottingham-shire, but after signs of improve- ment in his condition he will now be forced to stand as a suspect for the double murder of 82-year-old Robert and 76-year-old Elsie, of Greenmeadow.

The couple were discovered dead in the garden of a Lincoln home on July 11, 2007, sparking a huge police investigation spanning six forces.

Five days later Crook, of Thames Avenue, was arrested, and after details of his mental health deemed him unfit to plead to the charges of murder, he was detained indefinitely at Rampton.

Crook was excused from attending the plea and case management hearing in Bristol yesterday, although several members of his family sat in the gallery to follow proceedings.

The trial is expected to last between two and three weeks, and will not be heard before April next year if Crook denies the charges.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, said the accused should be present at the next hearing for the sake of smooth proceedings.

“It is difficult to give a time estimate on the trial but I would anticipate about three weeks,” she said.

“My suggestion to the court is that Mr Crook does attend the next hearing.

“An order can be put in place as a sec 48 Secretary of State transfer direction.

“That is a prison to hospital transfer so it would require him to attend court first, and can then be transferred back to Rampton under that direction.”

Sarah Jones, defending, said that previous coverage of the murder of Robert and Elsie, and a subsequent factfinding exercise, had the potential to prevent Crook having a fair trial in Bristol.

“One thing that occupies him considerably is that he would not like this trial to be held in Bristol,” she said.

“There are great concerns around the publicity which surrounded the previous trial, and he would prefer to stay nearby to Rampton and have the trial in Nottingham.”

Recorder of Bristol His Honour Judge Neil Ford adjourned the plea and case management hearing until November 28 to allow papers to be served.

“I will order the summing up of the findings of the judge in the findings of fact hearings,” he said.

“Mr Crook is still in hospital so there is no custody time limit to observe in this case.

“The trial will be not before April of next year, and it may be that this will have to be heard by a High Court Judge.”