A 43-year-old man has appeared at Sheffield Crown Court charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found in a property in a city suburb last week.

Emily Sanderson, aged 50, was reported missing on Thursday, May 25 after not being seen or heard from since Friday, May 19. Her body was discovered in a property in Crofton Avenue, Hillsborough last week – on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.

Mark Nicholls, of Crofton Avenue, Hillsborough, Sheffield, was charged with Ms Sanderson’s murder over the weekend.

He appeared at Sheffield Crown Court this morning (Wednesday, June 7, 2023) charged with the offence, and spoke only to confirm his name.

Prosecuting barrister, Ian Goldsack, stated during the course of the brief hearing that Ms Sanderson’s murder is alleged to have been carried out on May 19, 2023, which is a detail previously not released by South Yorkshire Police.

Judge Sarah Wright fixed the next hearing date for September 8, 2023, and told Mr Nicholls that he would be remanded into custody until then.

Police confirmed last week that the results of a post-mortem examination had revealed that Ms Sanderson, who was a mother, had died as a result of head injuries.

South Yorkshire Police has made a ‘mandatory’ referral to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, following Ms Sanderson’s death, a spokesperson for the force said in a statement.