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Boy In Court Charged With Knife Murders

Boy In Court Charged With Knife Murders

A teenager has appeared in court, charged with murdering a Saudi student and a vulnerable man in Colchester last year.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested on a riverside footpath in the Essex town on Tuesday.

He allegedly killed James Attfield, 33, a vulnerable man with brain damage, in a park in the town in March last year.

Mr Attfield had been stabbed more than 100 times.

Three months later, prosecutors say the youth killed Nahid Almanea, 31, knifing her 16 times as she walked along the Salary Brook Trail towards the University of Essex.

She was wearing a Muslim gown called an abaya when she was attacked.

The teenager was remanded in custody when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

His parents, who sat in the public gallery, both shed tears as the two murder charges were read out.

The teenager, from Colchester, looked relaxed as he was brought in to the dock by two uniformed officers.

Wearing a grey tracksuit top and bottoms and glasses, he smiled at his parents as he was led in and looked relaxed throughout the six-minute hearing.

In a quiet voice he spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and answered "yes" when the court clerk asked him if he understood the proceedings.

He will next appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday.