Face of former soldier charged over murder of stabbed dog walker
This is the former soldier accused of the brutal murder of an elderly dog walker.
Alex Palmer, 23, has been charged with fatally stabbing 83-year- old Peter Wrighton as he walked his two dogs in Norfolk.
Mr Wrighton’s body was found in woodland by a passer-by. he had been repeatedly stabbed in the neck and head.
Palmer appeared at Norwich magistrates’ court yesterday via video link from a police station. District Judge Nick Watson told him: ‘Mr Palmer, because of the nature of the charge you face this court has to order that you appear in the crown court. You will appear there tomorrow morning before the judge.’
No plea was entered and Palmer was not granted bail.
his fiancee, Christina MacEwan, was in court with family members during the threeminute hearing. Palmer was understood to be living with Miss MacEwan in Bawdeswell, a village 14 miles from Norwich. But in court he gave his address as the £450,000 detached fivebedroom house a few miles away in Cringleford, which his mother Fiona bought with her partner Mark Canning.
Grandfather Mr Wrighton, described as a ‘lovely, gentle husband’ by his 78-year- old widow Ann, was 50 yards from his red skoda Fabia when he was killed on the outskirts of East harling near Thetford. The body of the retired BT worker from Banham, near Diss, was found at 10.45am on August 5 by a walker. his dogs, a foxhound and a trail hound cross, remained by his side.
As a teenager, Palmer, who served in the Army from 2010 to 2015, appeared to have a distinguished military career ahead of him. Aged 16, he was awarded the top grade after an eightmonth assessment by the Parachute Regiment, allowing him to fulfil his dream of training with the elite troops.
At the time, sergeant Paul King said of the teenager: ‘if every recruit was this good we would have a very easy job.’
in 2009, Palmer told a local newspaper he had always wanted to join the Army and in particular become a paratrooper after helping out at a skydiving school at Old Buckenham Airfield, near Norwich.
Describing his first jump, he said: ‘i loved every minute ... some of the guys at the airfield were ex-paratroopers and they told me about their exploits.
‘i went to the careers office to learn more.’
After applying, Palmer passed a psychometric test, a medical, a course testing mental and physical ability and two formal interviews. his training was due to take place over 12 months at the Army Foundation College in harrogate, North Yorkshire.
he would later have been expected to join either 2 or 3 Para. it was not clear yesterday if Palmer passed his training.
Mr Canning’s son Zach said the family were in the dark about the case, but added: ‘Alex has got a heart of gold.’
Norfolk Police spoke to more than 700 people on saturday as part of their investigation and have taken more than 170 calls from members of the public.
Last night Detective superintendent Andy smith said: ‘We still have around 100 officers working in the area ... speaking with witnesses and conducting house- to- house and CCTV enquiries. We are also searching and forensically examining a number of locations.’
‘Told me about their exploits’