Lindsay Birbeck death: Accrington murder-accused in court Published duration 2 September 2019

image copyright Lancashire Police image caption Lindsay Birbeck was last seen on CCTV walking on Burnley Road in Huncoat

A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with murdering a woman found strangled in a cemetery.

Mother-of-two Lindsay Birbeck, 47, was missing for almost two weeks before her body was found at Accrington Cemetery, Lancashire, on 24 August.

The boy, from Accrington, who cannot be named because of his age, appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court.

He is accused of murdering the teaching assistant between 12 August and 24 August.

The teenager was remanded into secure accommodation ahead of a hearing at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people joined searches for Mrs Birbeck when she disappeared from her home in Huncoat, Accrington.

Last week, her children - Steven, 19, and Sarah, 16 - described her as "a great mum and wife, much-loved daughter, loving aunty and sister-in-law and a great friend too".