Man in court charged with Valerie Graves murder

  • Published
Valerie GravesImage source, Sussex Police
Image caption,

Valerie Graves was house-sitting for friends over Christmas when she died

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman who was bludgeoned to death in bed six years ago.

Valerie Graves, 55, was found dead at a property in Smugglers Lane, Bosham, West Sussex, in December 2013.

Cristian Sabou, 27, was arrested at his home in Dej, north-west Romania, last week, and was extradited on Friday.

He was remanded in custody after a hearing at Brighton Magistrates' Court.

Ms Graves, an artist, was house-sitting for friends at the seaside property when she was killed.

A post-mortem examination found she had severe head injuries.

Image source, PA
Image caption,

Ms Graves had moved back to Sussex from Scotland shortly before she was found dead at the house in Bosham

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