A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of a university lecturer.
Dr Barry Hounsome died following an incident at his home in Southcroft Road, Gosport, Hampshire, on Monday October 29.
The 54-year-old was an academic who had carried out research into dementia and Parkinson’s disease and had previously worked at Southampton and Bangor universities.
He lived at the property with his wife Natalia, who is originally from Russia and works at Brighton and Sussex Medical School as a senior lecturer in global health economics.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Winchester Crown Court for a preliminary hearing where he spoke only to confirm his name.
A plea hearing was set to be held on February 25 2019, with a potential trial date of May 1. The defendant was remanded in custody.
Judge Keith Cutler told the defendant: “I adjourn your case, you have a good legal team put in position to advise you and you and I will meet again in February, and if a trial is to be held it will be in May.
“I adjourn your case and you are remanded in custody until the next hearing.”