A man charged with the murder of young mum Donna Eastwood will next appear in court in January.

Joshua Caird, aged 26, of Almond Road in Stone, was due to appear in Maidstone Crown Court via videolink today charged with the murder of mother-of-four Donna Eastwood.

The 26-year-old woman's body was found in a burnt-out car in Rowhill Road, Wilmington, at 6.20am on Saturday (October 18).

Due to a technical malfunction the hearing went ahead in Caird's absence.

He will appear at Maidstone Crown Court on January 12 when he is expected to enter a plea and was remanded in custody.

A statement from Miss Eastwood’s family said: “Donna was a loving mother and will always be mummy and daddy's little angel.

“All her family loved her and life will not be the same without her.

“Thank you to all her friends for their kind words.”

Detective Inspector Ivan Beasley, from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, said: “The victim’s family has requested their privacy be respected at what is obviously a very traumatic and difficult time for them."