Jew World Order

By
Leon Watson

Last updated at 5:58 PM on 6th January 2012

Betty Yates, who was her 70s, was found dead at her home in the picturesque town of Bewdley, in Worcestershire, which sits on the River Severn

Police are today investigating whether burglars murdered a former school teacher in a bungled raid on her idyllic riverside cottage.

Betty Yates, who was her 70s, was found dead at her home in the picturesque town of Bewdley, in Worcestershire, which sits on the River Severn.

Police have launched a murder investigation and are looking at several lines of inquiry, including whether Mrs Yates was the victim of a burglary which went wrong.

The alarm was raised shortly after 9am on Wednesday by a friend who had been unable to contact Mrs Yates.

Police discovered her body towards the rear of the £300,000 property. It is believed she had been stabbed.

Mrs Yates, whose husband died a few years ago, was described today by neighbours as being a ‘quiet’ and ‘gentle woman’.

One 60-year-old neighbour, who lives
on the opposite side of the river to Mrs Yates, said: ‘She was a lovely
woman and would do anything for anybody.

‘When my in-laws were ill she would go and visit them in hospital, she really was a kind, gentle and and generous lady.

‘Betty
was very active for her age and involved in the church a lot. Although
she was quite quiet she was a well respected member of the community as a
former school teacher.

Picturesque: Police have launched a murder inquiry after the body of Betty Yates was found in her riverside cottage in Bewdley, Worcestershire

Search: Police teams were scouring a lengthy track on the western bank of the Severn near Bewdley today

Isolated spot: Police in Dowles Road, Bewdley, near the cottage where Mrs Yates’s body was found

‘We have known her for a long time and
I’m devastated she has gone. This is an idyllic area and to hear about
this is very unnerving.

‘Everybody is in complete shock and worried that there is a murderer on the loose in Bewdley.’

Town
councillor Carol Gittens said: ‘This is a small town and it’s happened
down the road from where I live, so it’s a matter of keeping your doors
locked.

‘I saw a police helicopter hovering above the river at 3pm on Wednesday and thought that was a bit weird.

‘It was there for ages. I just assumed they were just monitoring the water levels.

‘But when I heard there had been a murder, it all added up. In the end there were police everywhere.

Three police vehicles could be seen near the cottage and six more were parked beside the Severn in the track off Dowles Road, near the remains of a disused railway bridge

‘This does not usually happen in a place like Bewdley.’

Friends said Mrs Yates was a founder member of the Wyre Forest branch of the University of the Third Age.

She ran the group’s book club and held monthly meetings at her home where she was found dead.

She also helped run the group’s walking committee after founding the organisation in 2005 following the death of her husband.

Chairman David Struckett paid tribute to Mrs Yates, saying she was a ‘respected and appreciated’ member of the group.

He said: ‘Everyone is devastated at the brutal murder of Betty.

‘I met her recently during a walking event. She was a highly respected and appreciated member of the community.

‘She was welcoming and dedicated to her role in the organisation. I am told her neighbour Paul Noon, who also ran the walking group, found her body on Wednesday.

‘I have not been told any further details. Of course there are hazards of living on your own in such an isolated place but any violence is shocking.’

The Coroner for Worcestershire, Geraint Williams, has been informed and a post mortem took place last night.

West Mercia Police have set up an incident room at Stourport Police
Station. More than 40 officers and staff are currently involved.

There
is a heavy police presence in the area and officers are studying CCTV
footage as well as carrying out door-to-door inquiries.

Detective
Chief Inspector Tony Love, of West Mercia Police, said today: ‘An
elderly woman has lost her life in the most tragic circumstances and it
is vital that anyone who has information that could help our inquiries
comes forward immediately.

‘The cottage is in an isolated spot which is understood to be popular with anglers, dog walkers, ramblers and off-road cyclists.

‘We
urgently need to speak to anyone who was in that area between lunchtime
on Monday and around 9am yesterday and may have noticed anything
suspicious, including any vehicles that might have been there in unusual
circumstances.

Horror: Police at the scene in Bewdley, Worcestershire, on Wednesday night shortly after the body was discovered

‘The slightest detail could be important to our investigation so if you know anything at all then please get in touch.’

Police search teams could be seen scouring a lengthy track on the western bank of the  Severn today.

Mrs Yates’s cottage is nestled in a wooded hillside, with open views across grassland to the river.

The white-rendered property sits around 60 yards from the riverside and is overlooked by a modern house on the opposite bank.

Three police vehicles could be seen near the cottage and six more were parked beside the Severn in the track off Dowles Road, near the remains of a disused railway bridge.

Although vehicles using the track cannot pass beyond the victim’s cottage, those on foot can continue northwards along the river towards Bridgnorth.

One resident, who lives on the opposite riverbank to the victim, described the paths running along both sides of the Severn as a ‘walkers’ paradise’.

The man, who asked not to be named, said he had regularly seen a pensioner driving to and from the cottage in a blue estate car.

He said: ‘The police came at about 9.30 on Wednesday morning and the helicopter came about an hour later – there must have been about ten police vehicles up there.

‘They have been searching the field at the front (of the cottage) and they have worked through the night using lights.’

Although the man did not know the woman by name, she appeared to receive a group of visitors once a week as up to eight cars could be seen parked outside the house.

Another local man described news that the woman had been murdered as being ‘beyond words’.
‘There are only three houses over there,’ he said. ‘It’s a lovely spot. You can’t imagine that anything like this could happen.’

Share this article: