Man, 25, charged with York murder of estate agent

North Yorkshire Police said a 25-year-old man had been charged with the murder of Nicole Waterhouse and the attempted murder of Karen Browne.

They added that the man, who was arrested in the early hours of Monday, is due to appear before York magistrates today.

Ms Waterhouse, 32, a sales negotiator with Hunters Estate Agency, died at a flat in Phoenix Boulevard, near the National Railway Museum in Leeman Road, on Sunday, while Ms Browne, 23, suffered serious injuries.

She was yesterday still in a stable condition in York Hospital.

Estate agent Kevin Hollinrake, a director at Hunters, spoke yesterday of their grief at the death of Ms Waterhouse, who was the daughter of its founding director, John Waterhouse.

He said: “Everyone is just devastated. We are a very close business and our thoughts are with John and his family at this time.

“Our thoughts are with Karen’s family as well and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. We think she is on the mend, certainly physically. Nicole was a lovely, kind-hearted person who always had a smile on her face.

“She will be deeply missed,” he added.

“She was one in a million, she was a lovely girl.”

North Yorkshire Police officers used a specialist search dog to carry out searches yesterday in the Bootham area and Museum Gardens in York.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, of North Yorkshire Police major crime unit, said: “Detectives will be guided by medical staff as to the appropriate time to speak with Karen.”