Woman is charged over village death

RESIDENTS in a quiet Aberdeenshire village were in shock yesterday following the suspicious death of a disabled woman.

Grampian Police launched an investigation after the woman's body was found in a house in Greens Road, Newmachar, about 9pm on Monday. A 30-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the incident and a report has been sent to the procurator-fiscal.

Local people said the victim, believed to be aged 63, walked with the aid of a stick and lived in the council property with her younger cousin. Police conducted house-to-house enquiries yesterday as forensics teams scoured the area, including a phone box on the street.

Specialist units from Grampian Police were also searching neighbouring gardens and hedges for a possible weapon.

Residents in the village, which has a population of 2,500 and lies ten miles north-west of Aberdeen, were stunned by the heavy police presence.

One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "I didn't know her well, she kept herself to herself. You just don't expect anything like this to happen around here,"

Another said: "It's scary actually. Newmachar is a really nice area to live in,