Stephanie Beacham, 75, ‘faced by armed burglar in raid’

Dynasty actress Stephanie Beacham faced a hammer-wielding burglar in a horrific burglary, a court has heard.

The 75-year-old Coronation Street star was allegedly confronted by an intruder at her £750,000 home in Bayswater, west London, on September 25.

Beacham, who also played Sable Colby in The Colbys and Dynasty, had her purse and cell phone stolen along with jewellery, keys and a check book, a court heard on December 21.

Stephanie Beacham, 75, was confronted with an intruder at her £750,000 home in Bayswater, west London, on September 25, a court heard

David Wilson, 56, was charged with aggravated burglary and robbery and appeared at Southwark Crown Court in December, reports The Sun. He denies the allegations.

The prosecution alleges he entered Beacham’s home “as an intruder” and had “an offensive weapon, which is a hammer.”

Prosecutor Gregor McKinley described the actress as an “elderly victim” and asked the judge to set the trial date for next month.

Beacham is to appear as a witness.

Wilson, who has no fixed address, is also accused of breaking into a pensioner’s home in Sheffield to steal a snooker competition medal, mattress and stepladder.

He was taken into custody.

Beacham first took on the role of Martha Fraser on Coronation Street before briefly returning last year.

Beacham rose to fame playing the glamorous Sable Colby opposite Joan Collins in the 1980s US soap opera Dynasty

The actress appears in Season 9 of Dynasty, an American prime-time soap opera

Last month, the veteran star said she was delighted to be rejoining Corrie.

She told The Mirror: “Taking on a role where it doesn’t matter what I look like is a very exciting thing. It didn’t matter how I was lit or what angle I was shot from. I breathe a sigh of relief and think: “Finally!”

“The most important thing was to play the character the way I was taught and not to focus entirely on the looks. So to speak, under the outer wrapper, I am a perfectly evolved and evolving being who can bring so much life experience into a role.”

Beacham said she’s looking forward to taking on similar roles in the future and doesn’t plan on retiring as it “keeps me young.”

She added, “I don’t think actors retire. We just keep going until we can’t anymore. Acting, with all its challenges, keeps me young.”

The Bad Girls star was last seen hitting the cobbles in 2009 when Martha and former love interest Ken Barlow, played by Bill Roache, 90, began an affair behind his wife Deirdre’s back.

The Bad Girls star was last seen hitting the cobbles in 2009 when Martha and former love interest Ken Barlow, played by Bill Roache, 90, began an affair behind his wife Deirdre’s back

Beacham first took on the role of Martha Fraser on Coronation Street before briefly returning last year. She was seen giving an interview in December

Beacham’s original stay with Corrie only lasted five months, but went down in Corrie folklore.

Martha courted Ken while living on a barge, having recently separated from her husband and believing Ken to be a widower after he told her his son Peter’s mother had died.

They bonded over a shared love of literature and after falling in love with each other, they ended up kissing.

Wracked with guilt, Ken came to terms with his marriage to Deirdre, prompting Martha’s decision to end their affair.

But the pair still couldn’t resist each other, eventually sleeping together and intending to leave Weatherfield before Ken changed his mind and stayed with Deirdre.