A man accused of murdering his mother in Potters Bar is being assessed by psychiatrists over his fitness to plead.
Charles Dearden, 31, has been transferred from prison to a mental health unit at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield.
He is accused of fatally stabbing his mother Kim, who was aged 63, in Oakfield Close, in Potters Bar on Sunday, June 20.
Prosecutor Simon Wilshire told St Albans Crown Court today (Friday, September 3) that a prosecution psychiatrist had said he was fit to enter a plea to the charge.
His lawyer Katy Thorne QC said a defence psychiatrist was to assess him on September 17.
Judge Michael Kay QC adjourned the plea and trial preparation hearing until October 22.
He said: “As I see it, we need an assessment about his mental health at the time.
“Everything tells me there is an inevitable conclusion, but we have to take the right steps to reach it.
“I will adjourn the PTPH hearing until October 22, when the defence will have a full picture of his fitness to plead and his mental state at the time.”
A trial date has been fixed for January 31 next year.
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