'Murdered' pensioner, 70, was wearing nightdress when police found her drowned in overflowing bath with the plughole covered by a towel, court hears

The ‘fiancé’ of a pensioner who was found drowned in her overflowing bath appeared in court charged with murder.

Rita Fleming, 70, was found dead in her nightdress in the bath in her flat in Kensington, southwest London, after police forced entry on 23 June.

The hot tap was running with the plug covered by a towel, the Old Bailey heard.

Clifford Cowen, 57, appeared at the Old Bailey on 9 July charged with murder.

He told police he was due to marry Ms Fleming in August.

Officers forced entry to Ms Fleming’s property on Golborne Road, which hosts part of the famous Portobello Road Market, around 9.45am on June 23, and discovered her body.

Cowen was arrested that day and then bailed pending further enquiries.

He was charged with murder on 4 July.

Cowen, of Kensington Park Gardens, Notting Hill, appeared in court via video-link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs charged with murdering Ms Fleming on or before 23 June 2024.

Bald Cowen appeared wearing a grey t-shirt and beaded necklace and spoke to confirm his name and date of birth.

Prosecutor Hamish Common said: ‘Police arrived and forced entry - the front and back door were locked.

‘Ms Fleming was found in the bath drowned, wearing a night dress and underwear with the hot tap running and the plug covered by a towel.

‘The cause of death was drowning but she had sustained serious traumatic injuries beforehand.

'Mr Cowen was spoken to and later interviewed. He said he was in a relationship with Ms Fleming and due to get married in August.

'She had wanted him to get a cat called Bubby Boy which was at his address some distance away.

'However he said when he got there the cat was dead which he found upsetting.

‘For reasons not clear at this point the cat was later found in the freezer.’

Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, the Recorder of London, remanded Cowen in custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on 4 September.

A provisional two week trial date was set for 6 May.