Nicholas Metson, of Shuttleworth House, Lincoln, appears at Lincoln Crown Court charged with the murder of his former partner, 26-year-old Holly Bramley whose body parts were found in Bassingham

A man charged with the murder of Holly Bramley following the discovery of body parts in a village has today appeared at Lincoln Crown Court.

Nicholas Metson, 27, of Shuttleworth House, Lincoln, is charged with the murder of his former partner, 26-year-old Holly Bramley, (formerly Metson).

Her body parts were found in the village of Bassingham after searches by Lincolnshire Police of a local river.

Metson this morning appeared at Lincoln Crown Court wearing grey jogging bottoms and a grey top.

He spoke only to confirm his name and no pleas were entered.

Judge Simon Hirst adjourned the case for a further hearing at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday July 28.

A provisional trial date has been listed at Lincoln Crown Court beginning on September 25. The trial is expected to last two weeks.

Metson, who was represented by defence barrister Karen Walton, was remanded back into custody by Judge Hirst.

A second man, Josh Hancock, 27, of Walnut Close in Waddington, has been charged with assisting an offender and disposing of a corpse to obstruct a coroner.

He did not appear in court and his case was also adjourned.

A murder investigation, Operation Latch, was launched on Sunday, March 26, following the report of a concern for the welfare of a 26-year-old woman at Shuttleworth House, Lincoln.

Searches were conducted at Shuttleworth House and in the Bassingham area relating to the recovery of a body.

Officers appealed for anyone in the Bassingham area to review their dashcam footage, doorbell footage and CCTV between the hours of 12pm on Friday, March 24, and 4pm on Saturday, March 25, in case they had captured anything significant.