Man appears in court charged with the murder of a Sunderland woman

A man has appeared before a crown court judge charged with the murder of a woman found stabbed to death.

Police found the body of grandmother Michelle Hanson, 47, inside a home in Brady Street, Sunderland, shortly before 12.30pm on December 3.

She had suffered multiple stab or slash-like wounds, Northumbria Police said.

Alexander Carr, 33, was charged with murdering Ms Hanson.

He was also charged with possessing a bladed article, namely a hunting knife, when he was arrested in Islington, north London, on Wednesday.

Carr appeared for a brief hearing before Judge Paul Sloan KC at Newcastle Crown Court.

Wearing a grey sweatshirt and with closely cropped hair, Carr was flanked by two security officers in the dock.

The judge remanded him in custody to appear before the same court on January 20 for a plea hearing.

Carr will attend the court via a video link.

Earlier, Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr, of Northumbria Police, said:

"Our thoughts very much remain with Michelle's family at this time.

"We will continue to offer them support and I would ask that their privacy is respected.

"The loss of a loved one is devastating at any time but it is even more poignant at this time of year."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.