Jay Blades: man denies stabbing Repair Shop star's uncle to death in 'not guilty' plea

A man has pleaded “not guilty” to the murder of Jay Blades' uncle. The 72-year-old pensioner is accused of stabbing to death Richard Brathwaite, 73, with a kitchen knife.

The plea hearing comes after Blades announced he would be “coming off social media” and taking time out following his uncle’s death after it “really affected” him.

Brathwaite’s next-door neighbour Brown is accused of stabbing him allegedly after a "long running neighbour dispute" over a shared alleyway. According to the Daily Express, reports allege that Brathwaite’s 71-year-old wife Annetta was also injured in the attack.

Brown appeared at the Old Bailey on June 11 via video link from HMP Belmarsh. Pleading not guilty, he was remanded into custody, with a three-week trial scheduled to take part from January 27, 2025.

Blades announced last month that he would be taking a social media hiatus following the death of his uncle, but confirmed he would be “back soon”.

In a video on Instagram, he said: “I’ve just been to my uncle’s funeral, he was murdered a few weeks ago. Really, super nice guy, shouldn’t have happened to him, but it really affected me.”

He continued: “I feel a little bit messed up. So what I’m intending on doing is this. I’m coming off social media for a bit, and I’ll be back in a bit. Going to go and get some therapy and just chill out.”

At the time Blades told fans that he was taking time off to “take stock and just relax”, but confirmed he would be “back soon”. Adding: “Please, take care of each other, take care of yourself, and I’ll see you guys soon.”

Filming for the new season of The Repair Shop has already begun without him, at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Chichester, West Sussex. It has also being reported that he won’t feature in the Christmas special.

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also sign up to her free weekly column in the NationalWorld newsletter bringing you the latest tv and film news every Thursday.