Declan Lancaster to stand trial next year charged with murder of Patryk Mortimer

A man charged with murder after a fatal fire faces trial next year.
Patryk Mortimer and the scene of the fire.Patryk Mortimer and the scene of the fire.
Patryk Mortimer and the scene of the fire.

Patryk Mortimer, who was 39, lost his life after the blaze at a former care home on High Street, Easington Lane, Sunderland, on November 3, 2018, where he was a tenant.

Declan Lancaster, of no fixed address, has now been charged with his murder and appeared at Newcastle Crown Court this morning, via video link to prison.

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The 23-year-old was not asked to enter a plea to the charge and no application was made for bail.

Police outside the former Manor House Care Home following the death of a man in a fire in the early hours.Police outside the former Manor House Care Home following the death of a man in a fire in the early hours.
Police outside the former Manor House Care Home following the death of a man in a fire in the early hours.

Lancaster will be back in court for a further hearing on November 6.

Mr Mortimer died in hospital after a fire in a building that was previously the Manor House Care Home, in Easington Lane, and where he lived.

The crown court’s Judge Paul Sloan QC has now set a provisional trial date for February 23 and remanded Lancaster in custody.

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