A 40-year-old woman accused of robbing a disabled man of his motorised mobility scooter shortly before he died in Stroud was told today (Feb 16) that her case might not be finalised for a year.

At Gloucester Crown Court Kimberley Hawkins, of no fixed address, faced a single charge that she robbed Neil Shadwick, 63, of Archway Gardens, Stroud, of his motorised mobility scooter, of unknown value, in the area of Stratford Road, Stroud on January 22. 

However prosecutor Mary Cowe said that due to an assortment of reasons, including getting hold of various experts, that: “It is unlikely that a full charging decision will be made by the Crown Prosecution Service for at least a year," said Ms Cowe. 

The court was told that Ms Hawkins had been remanded in custody by Cheltenham Magistrates and that custody time limits come into play.

Ms Hawkins was remanded in custody by Judge Ian Lawrie KC until her case is provisionally reviewed on April 14, 2023.

The alleged robbery victim, Mr Shadwick, suffered from Parkinson's Disease and had recently also suffered a stroke.

He had difficulty communicating verbally.

He was found collapsed by a member of staff at Tesco superstore at Stratford Park, Stroud, at around 6am on January 22. 

The temperature at the time was minus four degrees.

Mr Shadwick was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where he later died.

Mr Shadwick’s mobility scooter was found later that same day at around 9am in Bisley Old Road, Stroud.

Ms Hawkins had originally been arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery following the death of Mr Shadwick.

She remains under investigation for murder as enquiries continue to establish the cause of Mr Shadwick's death.

A police spokesman has previously stated: "A post-mortem examination has returned inconclusive results about Mr Shadwick’s cause of death.

“Further testing will need to be carried out to determine the cause of death and a police investigation is ongoing.”