Man, 79, admits murdering his wife at home

A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his 84-year-old wife at their home in West Sussex.

On the afternoon of 31 May, emergency services attended an address at Langley Grove in Aldwick after concerns were raised for the welfare of Beryl Pyke. She was found dead at the property, with significant injuries to her head and chest, according to Sussex Police.

Her husband Michael Pyke, 79, who was arrested at the scene and charged on 2 June, admitted murder at Lewes Crown Court on Monday, police said.

He has been remanded back into custody to await sentencing on 13 November, the force added.

Bloodstained clothing was found in the laundry basket during a search of the property, as was the knife used in the attack, which police said had been hidden in Pyke's bedside cabinet.

Det Supt Colin Garman said: "Beryl's life was taken inside her home, a place where she should have been safe.

"While Michael Pyke's guilty plea brings some clarity to what happened in May, for Beryl's family and those closest to her, there is no conclusion to the loss they are living with. Nothing can undo the devastation caused by her death."

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