Man charged with knife murder

A 25-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a young woman who was found stabbed to death at a flat in Dorset.

Michael Catling appeared at Bournemouth Magistrates Court on Saturday accused of killing 26-year-old Samantha Marie Vines, with whom he used to share a home.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Winchester Crown Court on 15 August.

Ms Vines was discovered at Southerly Road, on the Somerford Estate in Christchurch, just after midnight on Thursday morning.

A team of 30 police officers and staff are involved in the investigation, with forensic examinations of the scene continuing on Saturday.

Police are linking Ms Vines' death with a hit-and-run accident in nearby Edward Road shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

Detective Inspector Martin Edge, the senior investigating officer, said: "Anyone who knows anything about that collision, involving a green Renault Megane, should contact the police."

Murder squad detectives are also appealing for anyone who saw any "suspicious activity" in the Southerly Road area between 1800 BST and midnight on Wednesday to contact them.