A 51-year-old man charged with murder will appear at crown court to enter his plea, following a hearing today.

Mark Andrew Frank Chilman appeared before Kidderminster Magistrates today charged with the murder of a 60-year-old man in Cotheridge on December 12.

Chilman, wearing a grey sweater, appeared unemotional throughout the hearing.

Because of the nature of the case, the matter can only be heard at crown court, where Chilman will appear either tomorrow (December 18) or Monday (December 21). Chilman, of Rainbow Street in Bromyard, will be held in custody at HMP Hewell until his court date, where he will enter his plea.

The 51 year-old, who spoke only to confirm his address, was arrested on December 16 and initially was going to appear unrepresented in court.

He changed his mind on this, choosing instead to be represented by Gary Harper.

This caused a small amount of confusion with court staff having to move the case to a different courtroom than expected.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene in a layby in the village on the A44 between Bromyard and Worcester.

He was found dead in a BMW, reported to have been burnt out.

Meanwhile a 27-year-old, who was arrested on suspicion of murder regarding the same incident, has been released on bail.

In a previous statement, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Peters said: “This is clearly a very serious and tragic incident that has seen a man lose his life and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this sad time.”

On Saturday, December 12, police were called to reports of a vehicle fire in Cotheridge where a 60 year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The following day, they announced a 51 year-old man had been arrested, while a day later they closed a layby in Ankerdine Road to preserve the scene.

Police also asked residents for any dashcam or CCTV footage of a black BMW X5 travelling between Stoney Lane in Broadwas to Ankerdine Road between 5pm and midnight on Saturday, December 12.