A 70-year-old Brighton woman has appeared in court by video link charged with murdering her husband in their Kemp Town flat.
Joanna Rowland-Stuart was aided by a British Sign Language interpreter at Lewes Crown Court this morning (Wednesday 24 July).
Rowland-Stuart, formerly known as John Stuart, appeared by video link from Downview prison, in Surrey, but did not enter a plea over the death of her husband Andrew Rowland-Stuart.
Mr Rowland-Stuart was a former lorry driver previously known as Angie or Angela Rowland, Angie or Angela Rowland-Stuart and Andy or Andrew Rowland.
Joanna Rowland-Stuart appeared at a previous hearing by video link from Lewes prison but was unable to follow the proceedings after the battery died in her cochlear implant.
The emergency services were called to the couple’s 15th-floor home in Lavender Street, Brighton, shortly after 7.30pm on Monday 27 May.
Despite paramedics’ efforts to save 70-year-old Mr Rowland-Stuart, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police arrested Joanna Rowland-Stuart, a former transgender rep and a former director of the LGBT Community Safety Forum, on suspicion of murder.
An inquest opened on Tuesday 4 June and was told that he died from several stab wounds. The inquest was adjourned until after the end of the criminal proceedings.
The criminal case was adjourned for a further case management hearing on Wednesday 4 September, with a trial by jury still due to start on Monday 25 November.
The court previously asked about mobility issues and was told that the defendant was able to walk.
Judge Christine Laing, the honorary recorder of Brighton and Hove, said: “As you both will be aware, no court in Lewes, Brighton or Hove is disability compliant and therefore if the defendant’s mobility is a real issue, I would have to look at transferring this case to another court.”
After Mr Rowland-Stuart’s death, Sussex Police issued an appeal for information that could help detectives as they investigated what had happened.
Detective Chief Inspector Alex Campbell said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and our inquiries are ongoing as we seek to establish the full circumstances which led to Andrew’s tragic death. Our thoughts remain with his loved ones at this difficult time.
“In the meantime, we are urging the public not to speculate but to come forward with any information which may be able to assist us.”
Charlotte Newell appeared for the prosecution at Lewes today, with Alan Gardner and James Hay for the defence.
Judge Laing adjourned the case for six weeks. Rowland-Stuart remains in custody, awaiting trial.
Man. Man, man, man, man, man.
Why the hysteria-fitting over what gender this person is… Brianna Ghey was a transgender teenage male brutally murdered by a teenage girl and boy, who were motivated by what brianna was… where’s your hysteria over that?
Get over yourself and your hysterical agenda
That’s total garbage. Those kids had a “hit list” and it was pure chance that they lured BG first. They had targeted someone else first. Don’t use that atrocious murder to further a different agenda. What’s at stake here is male violence being recorded as violence by women. NOT OUR CRIMES.
The defendant is a man not a woman.
Stop reporting and recording men’s crimes as women’s crimes.
Cropping the photo to ensure his Adam’s apple isn’t visible doesn’t disguise the fact that this is a man. Stop gaslighting women
Honestly even people who are even totally sane ( not sure if the defendant was or wasn’t) turn crazy living in a tower blocks! Even the RSPCA won’t home pets to anyone wanting to adopt and give a loving home in a tower block. They don’t think they are good enough for animals but humans and children live in these cages! The constant stress, noise, crimes, rubbish and serious drug dealing would be stamped out at the source if these tower blocks were properly dealt with. Good hardworking people live in those blocks in this day and age we should be abolishing homes which are seen as unfit for animals.
This is a mam who murdered his wife. Start telling the truth and salvage what’s left of your credibility.
A (trans) ‘woman’ killed partner using a man’s weapon and method. Misrepresenting gender and sex is causing harm and will continue to do so if data and reporting is allowed to become so skewed and embedded in systems. And it goes beyond crime to health, education and employment data too. What a mess, and women and girls will continue to face the most severe consequences as a result by having their data skewed, their protected spaces violated and their rights diminished.
Why do you lie?
This is a man.
He is not a woman, or a female.
He was a liar and he is a murderer. He murdered HIS partner who was a man.
Stop LYING.
Anotherfinemess .
‘Joanna’ is a man. Your referring to him as a woman is factually incorrect – which is heresy for any news-gathering media outlet or publication. But most importantly, it completely skews murder stats. Men are by far the main perpetrators of violent crime and yet you happily record this murder has having been done by a woman when it’s nothing of the sort. I suppose you think he should be sent to a woman’ prison? It’s despicable dishonesty.
That’s a man, stop lying.
A man, blatantly obvious from the photo and a total misrepresentation to say a woman, (a trans woman woukd have been more accurate).
This is a MAN. HE is a murderer. HE should go to aMALE prison. HIS crime should be reported and recorded accurately as a MALE perpetrator.
Woah-man
He’s a man. Not a woman. Stop gaslighting your readers. You’re supposed to be journalists. This is supposed to be a newspaper
Man, man, man. Stop misreporting the facts
MAN #NotOurCrimes
Our society is now facing yet another crisis.
When women are finally finding a foothold against the dominance of men, they have it taken away, again, this time by the infiltration of men into women’s gender, to carry on the abuse and dominance from within.
The SNP and Greens were totally duped by this, but we know, and it will not go unaddressed.
Society needs to address the elephant in the room and be brave enough to take control, because not only are women suffering yet again, but this will impact the LGBT community too. We need to protect both. It’s extremely worrying that the media is also too afraid to state the facts.
Journalism is supposed to report facts
This is not a woman’s crime. The murderer is a man, like most murderers are.
That is a man. his crime should not be registered as a woman’s crime. This will skew crime statistics beyond comprehension. In 30 years time people will be asking what caused this bizarre escalation in women’s violent and sexual crimes. No media outlet has any legal obligation to lie about someone’s sex. Journalists are supposed to report facts not fantasies.