PATRICIA Hindle has been remanded in a secure psychiatric hospital after a judge declined to take a plea on a murder charge into the death of 62-year-old Michael Redpath last September.

Ms Hindle, 30, of Crombey Street, was due to be arraigned yesterday at Bristol Crown Court, but His Honour Judge Graham Cottle expressed ‘great concern’ over the case and the charge of murder.

A trial date, reserved at Winchester Crown Court in May, has now been lost, and the custody time limit has been extended until the end of June.

Judge Cottle, presiding at Bristol Crown Court yesterday, said he was uncomfortable moving forward with the case while the defendant is charged with ‘the ultimate crime’.

“I am very concerned for anybody in her position should be arraigned today because I do not think she would understand what she is doing,” he said.

“She has had a wretched life from cradle to now.

“She has borderline personality disorder and she is of borderline intelligence. She is 30 years of age and she has been abused as a child and abused as an adult. She is a self harmer. She has had relevant contact with mental health services, has been a regular drinker and using heroin and crack (cocaine) since she was 15. That is the defendant in the dock.”

Ms Hindle appeared with dark hair and glasses, with minders either side of her in the dock, and sobbed quietly through the proceedings.

Addressing her directly, Judge Cottle said: “I do not know how much of what we have been talking about you have understood. You are indicating not very much by shaking your head. I am not altogether surprised by that.

"I will put the case off for a while for you to be seen by somebody else. They can then give a view about what way he or she thinks this case should go.

"I am very concerned about the prospect of a charge for murder.

"I want an opportunity for you to reflect on that with the help of other people. You will go back to Llanarth Court, and the case will come back to court at some point in the future.

“I would really urge the CPS to review this case and the way it should go. The date for the trial has now been lost, and I learned it had gone to Winchester with a trial set for May. It is a pity it was not brought in to court straight away.”

He said she should be assessed by an independent expert before the proceedings move on.

The custody time limit for Ms Hindle was extended to June 25, with a date for the next hearing and a potential trial to be set.