William Hodge, 79, is facing charges of murdering his wife Marion Hodge in 1984. He was deemed unfit to stand trial due to signs of dementia.
A 79-year-old man accused of murdering his wife in 1984 has been deemed unfit to stand trial due to signs of dementia. William Hodge is alleged to have killed Marion Hodge, then 34, in Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway. Court documents state that Hodge caused Marion an injury by 'means unknown to the prosecutor'. He also faces a separate charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of Marion's body and personal effects.
Marion, a mother of two, was declared legally dead by the Court of Session in Edinburgh in 1992. Her body has never been found. A hearing at the High Court in Glasgow revealed that Hodge suffers from dementia. Professor Gary MacPherson, a consultant forensic clinical psychologist, conducted a cognitive test on Hodge at a care home in Bristol in July 2024. Professor MacPherson told the court that Hodge demonstrated several cognitive deficits, including difficulties with attention, memory, and verbal fluency. He concluded that Hodge would struggle to instruct a lawyer and comprehend the trial process. However, the professor stated that Hodge did understand the potential penalties he faced. There were investigations into Marion's death in 1984 and 2006, but no further action was taken. The matter was revisited in 2021, leading to the current prosecution. Judge Lord Mulholland scheduled an examination of facts, anticipated to last four weeks, at the High Court in Glasgow in September. The judge ruled that Hodge was unfit to plead, upholding the motion
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