Boy, 12, faces court accused of murdering social worker

A 12-YEAR-OLD boy accused of murdering a “warm and loving” social worker was smiling when he appeared in court on Saturday.

Marcia Grant, 60, died on Wednesday evening after she was run over by a Honda Accord outside her home in Sheffield. She was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering “catastrophic injuries”.

The child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared at Sheffield Youth Court charged with murdering the grandmother and possessing a bladed article. He was found in possession of a silver-coloured kitchen knife, the court heard.

Wearing a dark blue jumper over an open-necked light blue shirt and blue trousers, he stood in the glass-fronted dock flanked by two security officers during the 30-minute hearing. He smiled and fidgeted with his hands, only speaking to respond “yeah” when asked to confirm his identity.

He was given a secure residential placement under the supervision of the Youth Justice Board and will appear at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday.

Bench chair Alan Kelleher told the boy that bearing in mind the serious nature of the alleged offences “only remanding you in secure accommodation would be appropriate” to protect the public.

A police cordon outside Mrs Grant’s semi-detached home in Greenhill was removed in the early hours of yesterday.

Her family described her as “a warm, loving and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend and a pillar of her community”.

They added: “Her loss has already sent shockwaves through all who knew her or was lucky enough to be included in her orbit. We ask for privacy at this time while further investigations are under way and the family try to come to terms with this enormous loss.”

Friends paid tribute to Mrs Grant on social media yesterday. Michelle Faulkner described her as “one of the best [foster carers] you could ever wish to meet”.

Jackie Hector: “I am absolutely devastated to read such tragic news. I mentored Marcia through fostering. She was a beautiful soul inside and out and her laughter was infectious.”

Fayzeh Mohamed said: “I was lucky enough to have worked with Marcia and know just how kind and wonderful she was. A great loss for her family, friends and to the city.”

Rows of flowers were left outside the family home. One card described Mrs Grant as “a caring lady with a beautiful heart and smile”.