Hi °C | Lo °C An Northern Ireland woman murdered in Portsmouth will be buried tomorrow six months after her death.
Elizabeth Alice (Linda) Scouarnec (51), originally from Bangor, was found dead in her flat on February 12. Portsmouth police launched an investigation into her death and have charged her 31-year-old son William with his mother’s murder.
It was reported in February that Ms Scouarnec was beaten to death and may have lain for up to four days before her body was spotted through the window by a passerby. Mr Scouarnec was arrested with another man the same day his mother was found.
He was charged with murder after police were granted two extensions to question him.
The second man arrested was released without charge.
However, despite the fact Ms Scouarnec died in February, it took six months for her body to be returned to her family for burial.
A spokeswoman for the Portsmouth police said the reason the body had been held so long was to carry out forensic tests for the murder investigation.
“We cannot give details of what sort of tests we were looking at because it is evidence that will feature in the court case. “However, our forensic officer said it is not unusual for a body to be held this length of time when it is a murder investigation,” she said.
Post-mortem results have not been released by police because they form part of the prosecution case.
REBECCA BLACK
