Murder charge after death of County Durham bailiff attacked at work

A man has been charged with the murder of a court bailiff while he was at work.

Former police officer Jeff Blair, 55, died after being assaulted in Shildon, County Durham, at around 1pm on Tuesday.

He sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead after being taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Robert Davies, 49, has been charged with murder, possession of an offensive weapon, and affray.

He has been remanded in custody ahead of an appearance at Peterlee Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Mr Blair worked as a police officer for Durham Constabulary for 22 years before retiring in 2017 prior to becoming a bailiff.

Detective Chief Inspector Sharon Alderson, who is leading the investigation, said: "This has been a deeply upsetting incident which has caused a great deal of shock to the local community.

"Our thoughts are with Jeff's family and all those who knew and loved him at this difficult time.

"We will continue to have a police presence at the scene, and I'd like to thank the public and nearby residents for their patience, understanding, and co-operation while we work to establish exactly what has happened.

"We are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that could help the investigation and has not yet spoken to us."

Police are asking anyone with information to call Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident reference 209 of 10 March.

(c) Sky News 2026: Murder charge after death of County Durham bailiff attacked at work