Plea hearing adjourned

A PROVISIONAL trial date of October 11 has been set in the case of a man accused of murdering a woman in Royston.

Tomas Navickas, 31, is charged with the murder of Svetlana Olsevka, 43, at a house in Ermine Close, Royston, where they both lived.

Navickas appeared at Luton crown court today, where proceedings were translated for him by a Russian interpreter.

Steven Garratt, defending, asked for an adjournment before a plea was taken from Navickas, as he said medical reports needed to be obtained from Russia.

Judge John Bevan QC adjourned the plea hearing until July 26, and Navickas was remanded in custody.

Police were called to the house in Ermine Close on the morning of March 16 this year, where they found Ms Olsevka’s body. A post-mortem examination concluded that she died from internal bleeding

The Lativian national had a 22-year-old daughter, a mother, and a brother, all of whom live in Daugavpils area of the former Soviet nation.

She came to the UK to work four years ago but kept in regular contact with her family.