Man, 61, charged with murder after 'stabbed' woman dies following crash

A man has been charged with murder after a woman who had suffered "stab wounds" died following a crash.

Housing association worker Eleanor Barnfield, 47, died in hospital after police were called to the crash in Bridgend on Monday, where they found she had "puncture wounds unrelated to the collision", which the BBC understands were sustained in a stabbing.

Clifford Foster, 61, from Bridgend, has been charged with murder and is due to appear at Newport Magistrates' Court on Friday.

The Welsh Ambulance Service (WAS) has denied Barnfield was driving because of ambulance wait times, saying it was aware of "misleading rumours" circulating online.

It said medics were called to the crash in Coity Road at about 12:44 BST and a response unit arrived seven minutes later.

In a statement issued later on Thursday, WAS said that from initial investigations it had been "unable to identify" any calls from Barnfield's phone numbers.

"Enquiries are ongoing to establish if any calls were received by other means," it added.

Reports in some media had claimed Eleanor had crashed her car while driving herself to hospital.

Ger-y-Nant retirement housing complex, where police arrested Foster on Tuesday, is a few minutes' drive from the Princess of Wales Hospital, with Coity Road the main road in between.

Senior Investigating Officer Claire Lamerton said her thoughts were with Barnfield's loved ones, who were being supported by specialist officers.

"This is not being investigated as a domestic incident, and I encourage the public to not speculate about the circumstances as court proceedings are now active," she said.