A 40-year-old man has appeared in court charged with murdering a healthcare worker who was stabbed to death.
Mother-of-three Victoria Woodhall, who worked at Rotherham General Hospital, was attacked in Windsor Crescent in the Middlecliffe area of Barnsley just before 5pm on Sunday.
Craig Woodhall, formerly of Windsor Crescent, Barnsley, appeared at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, court officials confirmed.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday, they said.
South Yorkshire Police formally identified Mrs Woodhall following the court appearance.
A force spokesman said: “Victoria was found with stab wounds on Windsor Crescent at around 5pm on Sunday 29 March.
“She was sadly pronounced dead upon police officer arrival.
“A post mortem concluded she died from multiple stab wounds.”
He added: “Victoria’s family has asked that their privacy continue to be respected at this difficult time.”
Tributes were paid to the operating department practitioner by Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust.
Angela Wood, chief nurse at the Trust, said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Victoria and she will be greatly missed.
“She was a cherished and much-loved colleague working in our operating theatres.
“Our heartfelt condolences and thoughts are with her family, friends and theatre colleagues at this time.”
A GoFundMe page set up by Mrs Woodhall’s friends, Donna Wetherall and Kelly Sims, raised more than £5,000 in 24 hours towards funeral costs and to help her children
Ms Wetherall and Ms Sims said: “Victoria worked really hard at university, qualifying to become an ODP at the Rotherham General Hospital.
“She will be deeply missed by friends, family and her children.
“She was lovely and caring, always helping others, lived for her children, and sadly she was taken away at a young age of 31.”
At the scene of Mrs Woodhall’s death, white-suited forensic officers wearing face masks could be seen at a property in the street on Monday.
A card on a floral tribute attached to the fence outside read: “Taken from us. Always in our hearts and thoughts. A loving mummy, daughter and sister. xxxxx.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article