Neighbour is charged after women killed
CHIEF REPORTER
A NEIGHBOUR has been charged with the murders of a mother and daughter who were stabbed to death in their Home Counties home.
Margaret Harris, 78, and her daughter Sharon Harris, 55, died of wounds suffered during the attack. Mrs Harris’s husband, David, 76, was taken by air ambulance to hospital for treatment for serious injuries. Jack Ralph, 28, a fitness fanatic and the family’s neighbour, was charged with two murders and the attempted murder of Mr Harris.
Mr Ralph was arrested at the scene and taken into custody following the incident on Saturday morning in Carpenters Lane in Hadlow, near Tonbridge, Kent.
Kent Police said: “Detectives from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate have charged a man with murder following the death of two women in Hadlow, near Tonbridge.
“Kent Police was called to a property in Carpenters Lane at 7.41am on Sept 29 where three people had suffered serious injuries, consistent with a stabbing.
“Two women, aged in their 50s and 70s, died at the scene. A man in his 70s was taken to a London hospital for treatment. His condition is stable. It is believed the victims and the suspect were known to each other.” Mr Ralph is due to appear via virtual link before Medway magistrates court on Oct 1.
Tributes were paid to Mrs Harris and her daughter with work colleagues and friends leaving messages of condolence outside their house. Michael Maile, 75, said: “We knew the Harris family. They were quiet, reserved people.”