Man pleads not guilty to murder of woman in Norfolk

Adam Barnard, 40, was charged with the murder after the body of Tara Kershaw, 33, was found in a property on Princes Road, Great Yarmouth, just after 9am on January 19 this year.

Tara Kershaw (Image: Norfolk Police)Police had received information that the body of a woman was inside before they went to the address.

Police at Princes Road, Great Yarmouth (Image: Newsquest)A Home Office post-mortem examination has been conducted with initial findings showing the death was consistent with compression to the neck.

Barnard, of Princes Road, Yarmouth, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Friday when he pleaded not guilty to murder.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)The defendant, who appeared via videolink from Norwich Prison wearing a white T-shirt and dark beard, also denied manslaughter.

A trial, expected to last 10 days, has previously been fixed for July 29 this year.

Barnard was remanded in custody.

A pre-trial review is expected to take place on July 12.

Members of Ms Kershaw's family attended the hearing accompanied by detectives from Norfolk and Suffolk's Major Investigation Team (MIT).

Stephen Spence appeared for the prosecution and Will Carter represented Barnard.

In a statement released following Ms Kershaw's death, her family said: "Following the death of our beloved sister, which we are struggling to come to terms with at the present time, we would like to ask people to respect our wishes for privacy.

"We would like to be given the time to grieve the loss of Tara and come to terms with the circumstances in which her life was taken."

Meanwhile the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed it is investigating 'recent contact' the Norfolk police officers had had with Ms Kershaw before her body was found.

A spokesman for the IOPC said: "Our investigation is looking at the previous police contact, including the actions and decision making of the officers involved."