Cleaner in court charged with 81-year-old's murder

4:05pm Friday 8th August 2008

A cleaner accused of murdering 81-year-old Joyce Cregeen has appeared in court.

A tearful Nicola Bushnell spoke only to confirm her name and that she understood her bail conditions during proceedings at Redhill Magistrates’ Court today.

The 42-year-old, who is charged with Mrs Cregeen’s murder and with three counts of fraud by false representation, was granted bail ahead of her appearance at the Old Bailey on November 14.

Bushnell, from Epsom, was ordered to stay at her grandparents’ house in Bognor Regis, and banned from talking to prosecution witnesses – except for her 13-year-old daughter - as part of her bail conditions.

She was told she was not to speak to her mum or 20-year-old son as both are due to be called as prosecution witnesses.

The court also ordered her to wear an electronic tag and abide by a curfew, meaning she would have to be home between 7pm and 7am.

She was also ordered to report to a police station in Bognor between 11am and 1pm daily.

Joyce Cregeen’s body was discovered at her Sefton Road house on May 15.

A postmortem examination showed Mrs Cregeen, who lived alone following the death of her husband Arthur in 1997, died from multiple stab wounds to the torso.

The mum-of-one had been an administrative civilian worker for the City of London Police before her retirement.