Man in court on 1996 murder charge

Nicola Dixon was killed on New Year's Eve 1996

A man charged with the murder of teenager Nicola Dixon, who was killed on New Year's Eve 1996, will appear in court on Monday.

West Midlands Police said the 41-year-old man from Birmingham, who was charged on Saturday, would appear before Sutton Coldfield magistrates.

Nicola suffered serious head injuries after being attacked with a brick in Sutton Coldfield.

The 17-year-old, originally from Morpeth in Northumberland and a student at Fairfax School, went missing after leaving a party at the social club of Good Hope Hospital.

The teenager left the club at 2145 GMT to meet another friend at The Station pub near the town centre.

Her body was found in the garden of the vicarage in Trinity Hill, less than a mile from her home. Police believe she may have been sexually assaulted.

Several thousand DNA samples were taken as part of the investigation while Nicola's parents made a number of televised appeals for information.