Man in court accused of murder and rapes

Rotherham man John Heald will appear at Beverley Magistrates’ Court today charged with the murder of Bei Carter on July 18.

He faces another 10 charges of rape, which are alleged to have taken place in South Yorkshire five days earlier.

Police launched the seven-day search for Heald after 49-year-old Ms Carter was found dead at the Morayland Hotel, Marshall Avenue, Bridlington.

More than 150 officers were involved in the hunt across South Yorkshire and surrounding areas before his arrest in the Parkgate area of Rotherham on Friday.

Heald had spent five days in police custody before the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the charges against him yesterday.

Adrienne Gower, senior district Crown Prosecutor for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has been working closely with Humberside Police on this case.

“Having carefully considered all of the evidence presented to us, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge John Heald with 10 offences of rape in South Yorkshire on July 13 and the murder of Bei Carter in Bridlington on July 18, 2014.”

Ms Carter’s death sent shockwaves across the seaside town of Bridlington and residents laid floral tributes outside the Morayland Hotel in the wake of her death. Police said she and her family returned to the UK from China only a couple of years ago.