A court appearance by the man accused of murdering Claire Tiltman in Greenhithe has had to be postponed because of a technical fault.

Colin Ash-Smith, from Swanscombe, was due to appear at Maidstone Crown Court at 10am this morning via video link from Belmarsh Prison in Thamesmead.

But the preliminary hearing was adjourned for a week after the system failed to work properly.

The 45-year-old appeared at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court on Friday after the murder charge was brought following a Kent Police cold case review.

He is set to appear again at Maidstone Crown Court on March 10, though discussions are continuing over whether to move the case to the Old Bailey.

Tilt, as she was known to her friends, was stabbed more than 40 times in January 1993 in an alleyway off London Road, Greenhithe.