THE trial is due to start today of the young man accused of murdering Suffolk pensioner Joan Albert.Simon Hall, 25, of Hill House Road, Ipswich, has denied murdering Mrs Albert at her home near Ipswich and is due to appear at Norwich Crown Court.

THE trial is due to start today of the young man accused of murdering Suffolk pensioner Joan Albert.

Simon Hall, 25, of Hill House Road, Ipswich, has denied murdering Mrs Albert at her home near Ipswich and is due to appear at Norwich Crown Court.

The trial is scheduled to last about four weeks and up to 40 witnesses are expected to give evidence.

Hall was arrested by police last summer during their Operation Magdala to solve the mystery over the death of the 79-year-old widower.

He made his first court appearance before magistrates sitting in Ipswich in July and then in October he appeared at Norwich Crown Court and entered a not guilty plea to the murder charge. Hall has been in custody.

Mrs Albert owned a hairdresser's shop in Debenham many years ago before she moved to the village of Capel St Mary, south of Ipswich.

She lived in a two storey detached home in the Boydlands cul-de-sac and lived alone in her property after the death of her husband Cyril during the 1990's.

Mrs Albert was a familiar sight in the village community and was known for her immaculate and elegant appearance. She used to walk her spaniel Rusty in the village.

Mrs Albert was found stabbed to death in her nightclothes in the hall of her home at about 10am on Sunday December 16, 2001.

The investigation into her death has been led by Det Supt Roy Lambert and an arrest was made on day 221 of the long-running inquiry.

A large team of police officers took more than 500 calls from the public and they gathered more than 1,000 statements from people who were in the village during the night of her death.