Man charged with murder of lecturer

A STUDENT, aged 31, was yesterday remanded in custody after being charged with the murder of Dr Elizabeth Howe, a lecturer and author, at York University on Saturday, writes Terry Kirby.

Robin Pask, of Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, appeared before magistrates in York yesterday. He was remanded in custody and will appear before magistrates at Selby next week.

Mr Pask, who was flanked by two police officers and wore a yellow plastic boiler suit, spoke only once during the hearing, to say that he understood the charge.

The body of Dr Howe, who lived in Oxford, was found on Saturday in her room at the university, where she was due to lecture at an Open University course. She had been attacked with a knife.

Dr Howe's husband, Jeremy, who is drama editor for Radio 3, and their children, Jessica, six, and Lucy, four, were yesterday staying with friends. The couple, both Oxford graduates, married 11 years ago. Dr Howe had been teaching Open University arts foundation and Shakespeare courses for several years. Her first book, The First English Actresses, was published earlier this summer.