Woman, 35, in tears as she appears in court accused of murdering her partner, 41, at their Bradford home

Blonde-haired Baiba Andersone fought to hold back the tears throughout a brief six-minute first appearance before magistrates.

She is accused of the murder of 41-year-old Dainius Dobrovolskis, who died as a result of head injuries at the home they shared in Stephenson Street, Great Horton, Bradford, last Monday evening.

Slim Andersone, who was dressed in a grey, round-neck top and grey jogging bottoms and had her hair tied back in a plaited ponytail,, was flanked by two burly security officers in the dock at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court.

Andersone dabbed her eyes with a tissue as the proceedings were translated to her by a Latvian interpreter.

She stood with her hands clasped in front of her as she confirmed her name, address and date of birth.

The clerk of the court told the magistrates: “The lady is before you in relation to an allegation from September 5 at the address given, which alleges the murder of Dainius Dobrovolskis.”

The defendant nodded when asked if she understood the charge.

Prosecutor Dan Penman confirmed it was an allegation of murder which could only be dealt with by the crown court and the case would need to be sent there.

Mr Penman said that, under section 115 of the Coroner’s Court Act, no decision could be made about bail by the magistrates and that would not be an issue for them to look into at the hearing before them.

He added: “This case needs to be sent to the crown court for bail to be considered by a judge within 48 hours. The defendant needs to be remanded in custody to appear at Bradford Crown Court on Monday.”

Andersone’s solicitor, Tom Rushbrooke, made no requests of the court.

Chairman of the Bench, Grizelda Collier, told the defendant: “You will be sent to the Bradford Crown Court. You will be seen by a judge on Monday and you will be kept in custody until that time because the offence you are charged with is murder.”

Andersone was led away in handcuffs.

The hearing was attended by a detective from West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, which is investigating the murder.

Police were alerted by the ambulance service, shortly before 8pm last Monday, after a man was found with serious injuries at a two-storey, cream-painted terraced house.

The man, who was formally identified and named by police yesterday as Dainius Dobrovolskis, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A forensic post-mortem examination established that Mr Dobrovolskis, who is thought to originally be from Latvia, had died from a head injury.

The defendant was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.

Neighbours told how a woman came running out of the house in tears as emergency services arrived at the scene.

They told how the couple living there had a volatile relationship, frequently drinking and arguing.

One neighbour said: “When the ambulance and police turned up, the woman came running out of the house in tears and was sitting crying in the police car.”

Another resident described the victim as “a very friendly and talkative person.”

The man said: “He would always ask how I was and carry on a conversation.

“He was six-foot-tall, bald and had quite a few tattoos.

“They were a loud and noisy couple who would constantly argue on a night. They both drank a lot.”

The neighbour said that the victim had wanted to go to Germany, where he had a 14-year-old daughter, and had wanted to leave his partner.

Following the incident, police cordoned off the house for several days while examinations of the scene took place.

Forensic crime scene investigators, dressed in white protective suits and masks and blue gloves, could be seen outside the property three days after Mr Dobrovolskis’ death.