A 23-year-old man accused of murdering Nicola Cross, who was found stabbed to death in Hertfordshire, has also been charged with kidnapping her two young children, a court has heard.
Cross, 37, was found dead at her home in Hemel Hempstead on Monday night by police officers who had been called to a report of a burglary. She had been stabbed to death, suffering two wounds to her chest. Her children were in the house at the time.
Polish-born Marcin Porczynski, of Hemel Hempstead, was arrested shortly afterwards. He has been charged with her murder and made his first appearance at Luton crown court on Friday.
It can now be reported that Cross’s two children “were present at the time of the events” and that Porczynski has been charged with kidnapping them. The court heard that a boy of six and a girl of three were the victims of a second set of charges of taking or carrying away a person against their will by force or fraud.
Wearing a neon yellow and green shirt, Porczynski appeared in court via video link from prison, where he is on remand, and spoke only to confirm his name through an interpreter.
During the brief hearing, Judge Michael Kay QC told the court the victim’s husband, Dan Cross, was “in a seriously traumatised state at the moment, from what I’ve heard”.
The case was adjourned until 4 December when a plea and case management hearing has been scheduled. His trial is scheduled to begin on 7 March at St Albans crown court.
