Police arrest man, 25, after murder of great-grandmother charity worker

A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 74-year-old woman charity worker.

The man was arrested on Thursday at his home in Walsall.

Anne James’ body was discovered earlier this week at her cottage in the same town.

The great-grandmother was the director of a Wolverhampton charity which helped vulnerable women who were the victims of domestic violence.

Mrs James also worked with an organisation supporting homeless women and ones who are forced into prostitution.

Officers discovered her body on Wednesday evening. It is thought she had been attacked earlier that day.

She was apparently stabbed to death.

A former colleague, who did not wish to be named, said of the tragedy: ‘No one knows what has happened but if she got attacked by someone she was trying to help then that would be just awful.

‘I really feel for her family. She was just a wonderful person with an absolute heart of gold.’

Detective Superintendent Tom Chisholm of the West Midlands police, said: ‘We have made significant progress with our investigation, but just because we have made an arrest does not mean we do not need people to come forward.

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‘We suspect Mrs James was attacked any time between late morning and 5pm on Wednesday and we need to hear from anyone who saw anything out of the ordinary.

‘The family of Mrs James have suffered an immense shock and we are keeping them fully updated with the latest developments.’

A family statement called Mrs James, ‘generous and kind’.