Man in court over attempted murder of Sheffield woman named as Maria Howarth

David Bestwick, of Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, Sheffield, was charged on Monday with the attempted murder of Maria Howarth, who was found critically injured in a house on School Lane, Greenhill the day before.

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Maria, 44, was taken to hospital but could not be saved and died the day after Bestwick was charged.

South Yorkshire Police said a post mortem examination revealed Maria ‘did not die as a result of natural causes’.

The force said officers found Maria critically injured after responding to reports that a woman had been assaulted.

Bestwick is due at Sheffield Crown Court today.

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South Yorkshire Police said: “Our dedicated team of detectives continue to carry out extensive enquiries to establish exactly what happened on the evening of September 5 into the early hours of September 6.”

Anyone with information call 101.

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