Man charged with murder of newsreader

A teenage relative of the former BBC newsreader Lynette Pearson was in custody in Trinidad yesterday charged with murdering her and two other family members.

Daniel Agard, 18, appeared in court in the capital, Port-of-Spain, accused of killing Ms Pearson, 51, her British brother-in-law John Cropper, 59, and her mother, Maggie Lee, 83.

Mr Agard was Ms Pearson's grandnephew and Mrs Lee's great-grandson. He did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody. Two other people have been detained for questioning by local law enforcement authorities.

The victims had been enjoying a tea party at a house near Port-of-Spain where Mr Cropper, an agricultural consultant, lived with his wife, a UN officer. They were found dead in the bathroom of the house last Thursday, with their throats slit and their hands bound with electrical flex. The family vehicle and other valuables were taken.