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Mother Of Five Denies Urinating On War Memorial On Anniversary Of The Somme

A mother-of-five who is accused of urinating on a war memorial on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme has appeared in court.

Kelly Martin, 42, denied the charges.

She is accused of outraging public decency in front of shoppers, as well as children, on a busy high street in Grays, Essex.

At the hearing, at Basildon Magistrates Court, Martin was dressed in a long-sleeved bright red prison-supplied jumpsuit.

She spoke only to confirm her name.

The monument, which bears the names of those killed in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, was surrounded by poppies at the time.

Kelly Martin, 42, appeared in court yesterday

Martin, of no fixed abode, was remanded in custody by chair of the bench Stuart Cranmer and will stand trial August 16 at Basildon Magistrates’ Court.

The Battle of the Somme started on July 1, 1916 and lasted until November 1916.

The British Army suffered 420,000 casualties during the battle, including nearly 60,000 on the first day alone.

Last week, thousands of people, including members of the Royal Family, attended a ceremony in France to mark its centenary.