THREE men appeared in court yesterday charged with murdering Boscombe man Geoffrey Reed.

Stuart Raymond Wareham, 25, Benjamin Henry Walter, 21, and Lee Raymond Wareham, 32, are accused of murdering the 57-year-old.

Prosecutor Tim O’Sullivan told Bournemouth Magistrates Court that the trio are jointly charged with the murder of Mr Reed in Bournemouth between Wednesday, June 6 and Thursday, June 14.

Stuart Wareham, of Cecil Road, Boscombe, was represented by Ian Daly, and wore a white T-shirt and black trousers.

Lee Wareham, of no fixed address, was represented by Robert Renshaw, and appeared in court wearing a black t-shirt and trousers.

Benjamin Walter, also of no fixed address and represented by Guy Gosheron, wore a red t-shirt and dark trousers.

All three spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth.

They were remanded in custody by District Judge Roger House and will next appear at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.

Detectives from Dorset Police launched a murder investigation on Wednesday following the discovery of human remains in an area of woodland off Huntick Road, Lytchett Matravers, north of Poole.

The discovery was made as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Mr Reed who went missing from Bournemouth on Thursday last week.