Kasim Lewis is accused of killing Iuliana Tudos, who was last seen alive near her north London home on Christmas Eve

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A man has appeared in court charged with the Christmas murder of a pub worker who was found dead in a north London park.

Kasim Lewis, 31, is accused of killing 22-year-old Iuliana Tudos between 24 and 27 December.

Tudos, who called herself Julie, was found dead in Finsbury Park, near her home, on 27 December, having gone missing on Christmas Eve.

A postmortem examination gave the cause of death as a stab wound to the abdomen and a head injury.

Lewis, of Friern Barnet, appeared at Westminster magistrates court and spoke to confirm his name, date of birth, address and nationality. The hearing lasted no more than 90 seconds.

Tudos, who police said was of Russian and Greek origin, was last seen by friends at around 8pm on Christmas Eve when she headed for a bus home from Camden.

She was due to meet them at another friend’s home in Enfield, north London, later that evening before spending Christmas Day there, but never arrived.

Police said CCTV footage showed her on the periphery of the park shortly after 8.20pm. Her body was found three days later in a disused building located in the north-eastern area of the park.

Lewis was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on Friday.