A 16-year-old appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court charged with murdering two people in Essex.

The youth, who is from Colchester, was remanded in custody to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, June 1.

Police investigating the deaths of James Attfield and Nahid Almanea charged a 16-year-old boy from Colchester with their murders last night.

Meanwhile, police are appealing for any information on the murders, in Colchester, to come forward.

Detective Chief Supt Steve Worron, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "We have received excellent backing throughout the investigations into both James and Nahid’s deaths from the whole community in Colchester and I would like to thank them all again for their continued support.

"We are continuing our enquiries and if anyone believes they have any information relating to either James or Nahid’s deaths I would ask them to contact us as soon as possible.”

James Attfield was killed in March last year. The 33-year-old, also known as Jim, was found on the Riverside Path in Colchester in the early hours of Saturday, March 29, with more than 100 stab wounds to his body.

Nahid Almanea, a student at the University of Essex, was killed on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 on the Salary Brook Trail in Colchester as she walked from her student accommodation in nearby Woodrow Way to the university complex in Wivenhoe.

The 31-year-old is believed to have been attacked at around 10.40am and died as a result of stab wounds.

Anyone with information can call Essex Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.