A 59-year-old man has appeared in court accused of defrauding the family of murdered former air hostess Lucie Blackman.

Michael Hills, of Lower Marsh, Waterloo, London, faced two charges of obtaining property by deception when he appeared before magistrates in Chelmsford, Essex, on Thursday.

Lucie, 21, a former British Airways hostess from Sevenoaks, Kent, was found dead in summer 2001 in a cave near Tokyo, 11 months after she disappeared in the city.

A man is standing trial in Japan for her killing.

Male client

The first charge faced by Mr Hills relates to �17,000 allegedly obtained from Lucie's father, Tim Blackman, in August 2000.

The second charge relates to �5,000 obtained from Brian Winder, whose son Paul Winder, from Essex, went missing in Central America in March 2000.

Paul returned safely to the United Kingdom later that year.

Mr Hills was released on bail by magistrates and told to return to the court for a committal hearing on 21 March.

Lucie Blackman went missing in July 2000 after telling a friend she was going on a drive with a male client from the bar where she worked.

Japanese property developer Joji Obara is standing trial in Tokyo accused of her murder.

He denies fatal assault, or rape resulting in death.