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Man charged with murder of two women in Crawley Down just before Christmas appears in court

PA Wire/PA Images
PA Wire/PA Images

A man accused of murdering two women days before Christmas has appeared in court.

Sandy Seagrave, 76, and Amy Appleton, 32, were found dead outside a semi-detached house in Crawley Down, West Sussex, on Sunday December 22.

The incident left the close-knit community devastated and led to an outpouring of grief.

Daniel Appleton, from Crawley Down, appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Monday accused of the murder of the two women.

Sandy Seagrave, 76, was found dead outside a property in Crawley Down (Sussex Police/PA Wire)
Sandy Seagrave, 76, was found dead outside a property in Crawley Down (Sussex Police/PA Wire)

Appleton sat in the dock in a wheelchair wearing a blue shirt, speaking only to confirm his details and that he understood what was going.

The case has now been sent to Lewes Crown Court.

Following the incident on the weekend before Christmas, police said a 37-year-old man was arrested and taken to hospital in a “very unstable condition”.

Amy Appleton was killed during the incident (PA)
Amy Appleton was killed during the incident (PA)

He was released from hospital on Friday December 24 and charged by police with the two counts of murder.

When the inquests were opened earlier this month, senior coroner Penelope Schofield was told post-mortem examinations showed Ms Seagrave and Ms Appleton died from “head injury”.

Ms Appleton, who taught at Copthorne Church of England Junior School, was described by her family as “a rock” who “always thought of others before herself”.

Ms Seagrave’s family also paid tribute to her, saying: “She was one of a kind, an eccentric character who was stubbornly independent, feisty, brave and not afraid of anything.”