Nurse's former partner charged with her murder

Jonathan Vass, 30, stood in the dock at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court flanked by two security guards as he was formally accused of the murder of nurse Jane Clough, 26, the mother of his child.

Burly, unshaven and wearing a blue Adidas T-shirt, Vass spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address during the two-minute hearing.

Miss Clough had just finished her shift in the accident and emergency unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and was walking to her vehicle in the staff car park at around 8.30pm on Sunday when she was stabbed by an attacker who left the scene on a bicycle.

The mother-of-one from Barrowford, near Nelson, Lancashire, was rushed to the A&E unit where she worked, just 100 yards away.

Her colleagues battled to save her but she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. A post-mortem examination showed she died of multiple stab wounds.

Vass, of Conway Drive in Preston, worked as a paramedic at the same hospital until recently.

Martine Connah, prosecuting, told the bench the Crown Prosecution Service was making an application to send the case straight to Preston Crown Court. She said magistrates do not have the powers to decide whether defendants charged with murder should get bail.

David Lawson, defending, said his client did not wish to indicate a plea at this stage.

Magistrates remanded Vass into custody to appear at 11am at Preston Crown Court tomorrow.

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