08:48 EDT, 11 May 2021
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A 20-year-old man has appeared in court today charged with murdering a mother-of-two who was found strangled and beaten to death in bushes.
The body of Maria Rawlings, 45, was found in shrubbery in Little Heath, Romford, by a dog walker on May 4.
Valentin Lazar, of Barking, east London, was charged with committing murder and appeared in custody at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He wore grey prison-issued clothing and spoke only to confirm his personal details through a Romanian interpreter as he stood in the dock.
Lazar was ordered to next appear in custody at the Old Bailey on May 13, which will be his birthday.
Maria Rawlings ‘murder’: Valentin Lazar, 20, in court after mum-of-two, 45, found ‘beaten to death’ in bush
Updated: 11 May 2021, 11:30
A MAN has appeared in court charged with the murder of a mum who was allegedly strangled and beaten to death.
Maria Jane Rawlings, 45, was found dead in bushes outside a school in Romford, East London, by a dog walker last Tuesday.
A man appeared in court today charged with murder following the death of Maria Jane Rawlings
Valentin Lazar, of Barking, east London, who is charged with committing murder on May 3, appeared in custody at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He spoke only to confirm his personal details through a Romanian interpreter as he stood in the dock.
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By Press Association 2021
Little Heath, Romford, east London, where Maria Jane Rawlings, 45, was found dead by a man walking his dog (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
A 20-year-old man has been arrested over the murder of mother-of-two Maria Rawlings.
The suspect was held on Sunday on suspicion of killing Ms Rawlings, 45, whose body was found in bushes in Little Heath, Romford on May 4.
Police believe she was attacked after leaving the King George Hospital in Goodmayes, Ilford, the previous evening, walking to Barley Lane in the direction of the A12.
Maria Jane Rawlings (Metropolitan Police/PA)
A post-mortem examination found that she had been strangled and had suffered head injuries.
A 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of mother-of-two Maria Rawlings.
The body of the 45-year-old grandmother was found in bushes in Little Heath, Romford, east London, on Tuesday, May 4.
Police believe she was attacked after leaving the King George Hospital in Goodmayes, Ilford, the previous evening.
She was walking to Barley Lane in the direction of the A12 when, according to police, she was grabbed off the street and forced into bushes.
Valentin Lazar from Barking has tonight been charged with Ms Rawlings murder.
Maria Jane Rawlings (pictured above), 45, from Chelmsford, Essex, was found dead in Little Heath, Romford, by a man who was walking his dog at around 2pm on Tuesday