Husband of make-up artist in court charged with murder
12:24pm Saturday 17th May 2008
The husband of award-winning make-up artist Diane Chenery-Wickens appeared in court today charged with her murder.
Sussex Police charged David Chenery-Wickens, 51, from Duddleswell, with murder at 10.55pm last night after Mrs Chenery-Wickens' remains were found off Worth Lane in the village of Little Horsted, near Uckfield, just before 10am on Thursday.
Chenery-Wickens stood in the dock at Hastings Magistrates' Court today flanked by two officers as the murder charge was read out.
Dressed in a baggy brown jumper, he spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. He had been kept in custody overnight at Eastbourne Police Station.
Mary Gordon, chairman of the magistrates' bench committed the case to Lewes Crown Court. The hearing will take place on Friday, August 22.
Chenery-Wickens was remanded in custody following the brief hearing.
Mrs Chenery-Wickens, 48, had been missing for four months before her remains were found by a woman walking her dog.
A post-mortem examination was carried out at 6pm last night and dental records were used to identify the body. Mrs Chenery-Wickens' family was then informed.
The cause of death is yet to be established.
Mrs Chenery-Wickens, who worked on shows including Dead Ringers, The League Of Gentlemen and Casualty, was reported missing by her husband on January 24 after she failed to attend a meeting at the BBC in London.
She won a prestigious Emmy award in 2000 for her work on Arabian Nights.
In 2003 she was nominated for a Bafta in the make-up and hair design category for her work on Dead Ringers, missing out to an artist on Little Britain.
Dead Ringers impressionist Jon Culshaw made a televised appeal for help in finding Mrs Chenery-Wickens days after she went missing.