Becky Watts: Four appear in court charged with hiding body parts after teenager's death

Stepbrother charged with her murder also appeared in court on Friday

(EPA)

Four people have appeared in court charged with helping to dispose of and hide body parts of murdered teenager Becky Watts.

Becky, 16, went missing on 28 February. Officers found human remains at a property in Barton Hill, Bristol after receiving a tip-off on Monday night.

Karl Demetrius, 29, and Jaydene Parsons, 23, of Barton Court, Bristol, and Donovan Demetrius, 29, of Marsh Lane, Bristol, and James Ireland, 23, of Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, all appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court.

They all faces charges of assisting an offender without lawful authority or reasonable excuse between 22 February and 3 March, after they were arrested on Monday evening.

Forensics teams are continuing to comb the property where the body parts were found, and a private ambulance was seen leaving the property on Tuesday afternoon.

The charge alleges that the four helped to dispose of and conceal parts of Ms Watt's body "with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution" of her stepbrother Nathan Matthews.

District Judge Lynne Matthews remanded the four - who did not make applications for bail - into custody. They will next appear at Bristol Crown Court on 26 March.

Steve George, representing Parsons, said his client would not enter a plea but added: "She vehemently denies any involvement in this offence."

Her stepbrother Nathan Matthews appeared before Bristol Crown Court via video link charged with her murder on Friday.

He did not enter a plea and spoke only to confirm his name and that he could hear proceedings.

Judge Neil Ford QC said: “The position at this stage is that I will put a provisional, tentative trial date of 1 September. It is very tentative.

We don't yet know the full extent of the case and whether it can be ready for 1 September.”

He remanded Matthews in custody and set a hearing for 26 March.

Matthews' girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, 21, will also appear before the court charged with perverting the course of justice on that date.

Prosecutor James Ward told the court police were assessing “at least” 1,200 exhibits in connection with the case.

“Much forensic work needs to be done,” he said.

Paul Cook, representing Matthews, said his client was not making an application for bail.

Additional reporting by PA