THE trial of an East Lancashire man charged with murdering Darwen woman Charlotte Flanagan was due to begin in London today.

Gareth Richard Horton, 29, of Walmsley Street, Darwen, was due to appear in the dock today, the first day of a seven day jury hearing at the Central Criminal Court.

He is charged with the New Year's Day murder of Charlotte Flanagan, 22, who originally came from Darwen.

She had moved to the capital in September last year for 12 months before starting a nursing course, which would have begun earlier this month.

Charlotte, who owned the property Horton was renting in Darwen, had previously lived with her parents in Melville Gardens, Darwen.

Both her father Kevin, and mother Dorothy, have planned to sit through the full trial at the Old Bailey.

Charlotte was found dead in a flat on the fourth floor of the Barley Mow pub in the Oxford Street area of Central London in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Horton was arrested several hours later and charged on January 3.

Both Charlotte and Horton had worked for Blackburn with Darwen Council's social services department.