mond2x: Friends of Newark woman speak of "sad waste of life"

Monday, March 21, 2011

Friends of Newark woman speak of "sad waste of life"

A FRIEND of Newark woman Denise Skilbeck has described her death as a "sad waste of a life which she used to help others".

Miss Skilbeck, 31, was discovered dead at a flat in The Wharf area of Newark shortly after 7pm on Wednesday, March 16.

A post-mortem examination carried out on Thursday concluded she died of a head injury. A man has been charged with her murder.

One friend, who asked not to be named, said: "I met Denise on the train from Newark on the regular morning commute. She was a very friendly and approachable person who used her skills and own experiences to support others in her work at Ingeus in Nottingham, supporting disabled and troubled people to get into work.

"This is a shocking and sad waste of a life which she used to help others."

Miss Skilbeck originally came from Oxfordshire but had lived in Newark for several years. It is not known if she was still working for Ingeus before her death.

A member of staff from Rhythm and Booze off-licence, on Bargate in Newark, had known Miss Skilbeck – who lived nearby – for about a year because her flat was nearby.

"She was a really nice woman. She was really friendly. She was always chatty," said the member of staff, who asked not to be named. "When my daughter was born she was congratulatory and asked how she was. She was really nice."

The member of staff said she and her colleagues were all shocked when they heard about Miss Skilbeck's death.

"She will be really missed. She was a lovely person and she didn't deserve it," she said.

Frank Dyson, licensee of the Castle Barge pub on The Wharf, said: "She used to come here, and her boyfriend. I know they had been there at least 12 months.

"I used to see them at least once a week. They were pretty quiet really."

Neighbours of Miss Skilbeck also said they were shocked by her death.

Sophie Renshaw, 24, who has lived in the building for one and a half months, said: "I was shocked, but I figured it was the kind of thing that can happen anywhere."

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "It's a bit of a shock really. I only saw them in passing."

A man appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Saturday charged with murdering Miss Skilbeck between March 14 and 17.

Gary Spalding, 34, of Dobsons Quay, The Wharf, Newark, was remanded into custody and is due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, April 4.