Partner of novelist Helen Bailey in court charged with murder after cops discover her body in septic tank
Ian Stewart makes first court appearance via video link
THE partner of missing novelist Helen Bailey has appeared in court for the first time charged with her murder.
Ian Stewart, 55, appeared via video link from his prison cell where he has been held in custody since the 51-year-old children's author’s body was found in the garden of her sprawling home in Royston.
Stewart, of Baldock Road in Royston, has also been charged with perverting the course of justice by reporting Ms Bailey as missing and hiding her body.
He faces a trial for this and preventing a lawful burial in January.
Ms Bailey's body was found alongside her dead brown miniature Dachshund Boris in a septic tank underneath her garden.
Cops made the grim discovery after a three month search for the missing novelist.
They found her remains in the grounds of her £1.2million property after a neighbour tipped them off about a hidden well that could be accessed via the garage.
In a surprise twist, Stewart was arrested after cash vanished from the victim's bank account after she went missing.
He appeared before Hatfield Remand Court on Saturday morning and was remanded in custody, to appear before St Albans Crown Court today.
Ms Bailey was last seen several weeks after the fifth anniversary of the death of her husband, John Sinfield, who drowned on a holiday in Barbados in February 2011.
She was known by younger readers for her characters Electra Brown and Daisy Davenport.
A post mortem took place over the weekend to determine the cause of her death although the results are yet to be released.
Helen and Stewart met through a Facebook bereavement group seven months after her husband’s death and after her new partner lost his wife in 2010.
Father of two Mr Stewart found his first wife Diane collapsed in the garden of their home after she suffered a fatal brain aneurysm.
Two years ago Helen moved in with Mr Stewart and his two adult sons.
The case continues.
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