A man has appeared in court charged with murdering the millionaire hotelier Sir Richard Sutton.

Thomas Schreiber, 34, appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court for a short hearing on Monday morning.

Schreiber, of Gillingham, Dorset, is accused of the murder of Sir Richard and the attempted murder of Anne Schreiber on 7 April.

He is also accused of driving a Range Rover dangerously on the A303 and the M3 on the same date.

Schreiber, dressed in a grey sweatshirt, wearing a white face mask and with a bandage on his right arm, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

No pleas were entered to the three charges against him and no application for bail was made.

Caroline Foster, chair of the bench, remanded Schreiber in custody ahead of a hearing on Tuesday.

She told the defendant: “You will now be sent to the Crown Court sitting at Winchester on April 13 at 10am and you will be remanded in custody.”

Siobhan Oxley appeared for the prosecution during the hearing, while Abdullah Al-Yunusi represented Schreiber.

Dorset Police received a report raising concern for the welfare of the occupants of an address in Higher Langham, near Gillingham, at 7.30pm on 7 April.

Officers attended the property and found Sir Richard, who owned a string of top hotels in London, and Ms Schreiber with serious injuries.

The force previously said both were believed to have suffered stab wounds.

Paramedics attended the scene but Sir Richard, 83, was pronounced dead at around 9.15pm.

An initial post-mortem examination indicated that the cause of death was stab wounds to his chest, police previously said.

Ms Schreiber was airlifted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where she remains in a critical condition.

On the evening of 7 April, a man was arrested on suspicion of murder in the Hammersmith area of London.

He was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries and subsequently taken into police custody.

On Sunday, police said Schreiber had been charged with murder, attempted murder and dangerous driving.

Sir Richard was listed at number 435 in the Sunday Times Rich List last year, with an estimated family fortune of £301m – a rise of £83m on the previous year.

The guide said Sir Richard’s company owns London hotels the Sheraton Grand Park Lane and the Athenaeum, plus three smaller venues.

He had an extensive property and farming portfolio, including the 6,500-acre Benham Estate in west Berkshire and the Stainton Estate in Lincolnshire.

Schreiber will next appear at Winchester Crown Court on 13 April.

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