Man accused of murder over fatal house fire near Middlesbrough appears in court

A man has appeared in court charged with murder following a house fire which killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt.

Natalie McDonald, 34, and Valentina Foster, her niece, died in the blaze in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of 26 August. Four others were injured.

Jaden Wright, 23, of no fixed address, appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday for a hearing which lasted less than two minutes.

Wright was remanded in custody to appear before Teesside Crown Court on Thursday.

He faces two murder charges, two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and two charges of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

The charges relate to the six people in the house, two of whom cannot be identified due to their age.

Cleveland Police said on Friday that a 48-year-old woman was in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle in a "critical but stable" condition, and a 27-year-old man was at James Cook University hospital receiving treatment.

Two teenage girls were both discharged after suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

The clerk also said that Wright faced a separate charge of intentional strangulation relating to an alleged incident the day before the fire.

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After he was charged, Katie Smith, senior investigating officer from Northumbria Police, said: "This has been a truly tragic incident, and my thoughts remain with the families of all those involved.

"I would like to thank local residents for their support and patience during this complex investigation."

Katie Nicolson, chief crown prosecutor for CPS North East, added: "It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."

A 31-year-old man who was also arrested in connection with the case was released without charge on Sunday.

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