THE husband of a Worcestershire woman who went missing in 1982 has been charged with her murder and will appear in court next week.

David Venables will appear at Worcester Magistrates Court on June 15 after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised West Mercia Police to charge him over the murder of Brenda Venables, who was reported missing from Kempsey in 1982.

Mark Paul, Head of Complex Casework Unit, said: "The decision to authorise the charge against the defendant was made after careful consideration of all the available evidence of this complex case and determining that a prosecution is required in the public interest.

"The alleged offences occurred between May 2, 1982 and May 5, 1982.

"The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether criminal charges are appropriate.

"Criminal proceedings are now active, and there must be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could prejudice these proceedings."

David Venables was charged on June 8, 2021 and will appear at Worcester Magistrates’ Court for the first hearing on June 15, 2021.