Telford Man Accused of Georgia Williams Murder Remanded in Custody

The man charged with the murder of 17-year-old Georgia Williams has been remanded in custody by magistrates.

Jamie Reynolds, 22, of Avondale Road, Wellington, appeared at Telford Magistrates Court on the morning of Saturday 1 June. Reynolds will next appear at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday 4 June. .

He is charged with killing Georgia, also of Wellington, on Sunday 26 May, the day she disappeared.

On Friday, a woman's body was found 14:00 BST in woodland off the Nant-y-Garth pass in north Wales. Though it has not been formally identified as Williams, police charged Reynolds with murder soon after its discovery.

At a briefing on Friday, superintendent Rav Malik said they had evidence to suggest that Georgia was killed at an address in Wellington.

West Mercia Police received almost 300 calls after appearing on the BBC's Crimewatch programme to appeal for sightings of a silver Toyota Hiace 300 GS van, registration CX06 ASV.

The van travelled from Wellington to Oswestry, also in Shropshire, before going to north Wales, Chester, Kendal in Cumbria and then on to Glasgow, where it was seized by officers and Reynolds arrested at a budget hotel.

Superintendent Malik said police had been liaising closely with Georgia's family "who are naturally devastated by the events of yesterday afternoon and late this afternoon as well," he said.

He added: "This has proved particularly challenging given that colleagues are working relentlessly, but also that one of the colleagues, Georgia's father, is a police officer within this organisation here, and it's been emotional for them. Whenever someone from a police family is involved, it is particularly distressing, clearly."

Georgia was last seen on Sunday, when she told her family she was going to see friends. When it transpired that Georgia had never arrived, she was reported missing on Tuesday.

Katy Lafferty, Georgia's best friend, has said her disappearance is "heart-breaking".

The 17-year-old praised the support that had been expressed by thousands of people via social media.

Liam Ball, a student at New College in Telford, where Georgia attended lectures, has described his friend as "friendly, bubbly and lovely with a great sense of humour".

The 18-year-old, from Shifnal, said: "She is everything you could want in a friend."