Man remanded over death of Facebook girl

A homeless man accused of kidnapping and killing a teenage girl he is alleged to have met on Facebook appeared before a Crown Court judge today.

Peter Chapman, 32, did not enter pleas at Teesside Crown Court where he made a ten minute appearance via videolink.

Bespectacled Chapman, who appeared unshaven and dressed in a grey T-shirt, hung his head as he was addressed by prosecutor Gale Gilchrist.

He spoke only to confirm his name and to say he could hear the court proceedings clearly.

Chapman is charged with the kidnap and manslaughter of trainee nanny Ashleigh Hall, whose body was found dumped in a ditch on farmland near Sedgefield, County Durham.

The 17-year-old Darlington College student had gone missing the night before, after telling her mother she was going to stay overnight at a friend's house.

Chapman also faces a charge of failing to notify a new address as required by the Sex Offenders Act.

The case was adjourned until January next year and Chapman was remanded in custody.

On Friday, Ashleigh's mother Andrea Hall spoke in public for the first time about her daughter, who she described as her rock, saying she was "bubbly, lively and lovely" and a bit of a chatterbox.