Man charged with murder after woman's body found at house in Royston

A MAN has been charged with murder following the discovery of a woman's body in Royston.

Tomas Navickas, 31, of Ermine Close, Royston, will appear before magistrates in Hatfield today (Thursday) after being charged with murder of a 43-year old woman, whose body was found at a property in Ermine Close at about 9.15am on Tuesday.

She has yet to be named, but a post mortem has concluded that she died from internal bleeding caused by injuries to the chest and stomach.

Residents in the close expressed their shock at the news.

One said: "I can see the house from my window. We went outside on Tuesday morning and there were police all over the place.

"It was such a shock because this is a really quiet area. I didn't know the people living there because most folk just keep themselves to themselves. It's really frightening that this has occurred right on our door step.

"I haven't heard anything from the police yet, which is a worry as I have two children and want to know that they are safe."

Another resident added: "We didn't know the people who lived there, they hadn't been in the house for very long I don't think.

"It's horrifying to think that this has happened so close to home."

Police officers swooped on the house on Tuesday morning, and quickly cordoned off the close while forensic teams and officers from the Special Investigations Team surveyed the scene.

Formal identification of the victim has yet to be carried out.