A MAN clutched at a pack of tissues as he appeared in the dock charged with attempted murder.

Martin Buckland, 49, of Skyllings Newbury, appeared at Reading Magistrates Court today, accused of stabbing a 48-year-old woman in the neck and back at her home in Inkpen, near Hungerford, on Thursday 6 August.

In court, Mr Buckland wore a grey jumper and had his glasses tucked into the top of it. He spoke only to confirm his name and age.

Defending, Catherine Brymer, made no application for bail.

Mr Buckland faces one count of attempted murder.

Chairman, Marcelline Herald, remanded him in custody.

He is due to appear at Reading Crown Court on August 10.

Paramedics treated the 48-year-old woman, Lana Quelch, at her home, in Robins Hill, before she was flown by air ambulance to the John Radcliffe in Oxford on Thursday.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "The charge is in relation to an incident on Thursday (6/8) in Robins Hill, Inkpen, in which a woman sustained serious injuries. She remains in the John Radcliffe Hospital in a serious but stable condition."