Man charged with murder of former Edinburgh high school pupil whose body was found in wheelie bin

39-year-old Nicola Stevenson was found by a dog walker in the bin at the edge of a recreation ground

A man has been charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found in a wheelie bin at a recreation ground in East Sussex.

The body of 39-year-old Nicola Stevenson was found by a dog walker in the bin at the edge of a recreation ground off Landport Road, Lewes, at 12.30pm last Wednesday.

She was a former pupil of Balerno High School in Edinburgh

The body of 39-year-old Nicola Stevenson was found by a dog walker in the bin at the edge of a recreation ground off Landport Road,

Richard Canlin, 41, of no fixed address, was charged with murder on Sunday and is due to appear at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Monday.

In a statement, Sussex Police said that Ms Stevenson, from Lewes, had not yet been formally identified but officers were satisfied as to the identity of the victim.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Friday, from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, who is leading the investigation, added: "The investigation teams have been working tirelessly to progress this case and ensure justice is sought for Nicola and her family and friends.

"Despite the charging of a man, we are still desperate to hear from anyone who may be able to add to our investigation timeline.

"We are urging anyone who saw Nicola before her body was found to come forward to us as you may hold vital information to aid our ongoing investigation.

"For those of you living in local community to Nicola, you will still see our officers out and about conducting enquiries; please do go and speak to them if you have anything to add."

Search and forensic teams have concluded their work at the recreation ground but will continue at Ms Stevenson's home in nearby Stansfield Road.

A 37-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday has been released on police bail until December 12.