Man, 54, is charged with murder after 85-year-old woman was strangled to death in a bathtub in north-east London
- The suspect was arrested at the scene in Rushden Gardens, Clayhall, in London
- It is believed the woman and the suspect, in custody, are known to each other
- An elderly woman in her 80s was found unconscious in the bath on April 9
A man has been charged with murder after an 85-year-old woman died in a bathtub.
On Saturday, Metropolitan Police officers charged Mark Herman, 54, with murdering the elderly woman at a bungalow on Rushden Gardens in north-east London.
A post-mortem examination has confirmed the cause of her death as compression to the neck.
An elderly woman in her 80s was found unconscious and not breathing in the bath
The suspect was arrested at the scene in Rushden Gardens, Clayhall and it is believed the woman and the man are known to each other
Despite paramedics fighting for nearly an hour to save her life, she was pronounced dead at 11.48am
Detectives have named the victim as Loretta Herman, though formal identification has not yet taken place.
Officers and paramedics were called to the quiet residential street in Ilford at 10.51am on Friday, where Ms Herman was found unconscious and not breathing in the bath.
Paramedics battled for an hour to save her life but she was pronounced dead at 11.48am.
Red roses have since been left on the doorstep to the home, where neighbours said Ms Herman had lived for around 35 years.
One local resident said she found the news ‘terrible’ and ‘very upsetting’.
She said she saw seven police vehicles pull up on the street on Friday morning and a man was seen being arrested.
The woman, who asked to be named only as Debra, said: ‘It’s a terrible death for an old lady, in her own home, it’s very upsetting.
‘I knew her from years ago, but I presumed she had moved out because I hadn’t seen her in five years.’
Debra said Ms Herman used to live with her husband, who died some years ago.
Herman, of Rushden Gardens, is being held in custody and will appear at Redbridge Magistrates’ Court on Monday.