Accused Sian O’Callaghan killer, Christopher Halliwell, caused angry scenes outside court as he faced a charge of murder.
Two men had to be restrained after banging on the side of a van believed to be carrying Halliwell, 47, as it was driven into Swindon Magistrates’ Court.
About 50 people gathered outside the back entrance to the court in advance of the taxi driver’s hearing. Many people were shouting abuse and threats and some women were in tears.
Sian O’Callaghan: two bodies found, man arrested for murder
Dozens of uniformed police officers lined the street to hold back the crowd.
And after his brief appearance, the crowd outside again screamed abuse and tried to attack the prison van carrying Halliwell as it left court, with police officers struggling to hold them back. Some chased the van down the road.
In his hearing, Halliwell, of Ashbury Avenue, Swindon, spoke only to confirm his name and address. He was remanded in custody until March 30, when he will appear at Bristol Crown Court.
He wore a dark suit and a blue and white-striped shirt for the court hearing. He showed no emotion as the murder charge was read out.
O’Callaghan disappeared after leaving the Suju nightclub in Swindon a week last Saturday after a night out with girl friends.
Detectives are now investigating whether Halliwell is linked to the deaths of any other women after he led police to the burial sites of the 22-year-old PA and a second woman.
Bones belonging to an unknown woman were discovered by officers yesterday, hours after Halliwell, 47, was charged with the murder of O’Callaghan following the discovery of her body.
Police have so far not been able to identify the second woman, who is said to be aged between 23 and 30.
The discovery came after Halliwell told officers he had snatched a woman off the streets of Swindon some time between 2003 and 2005.
According to the detective leading the investigation, Halliwell has told officers he does not know the identity of the woman but led them to the spot where she was buried.
Yesterday it was disclosed that a Vietnamese women went missing from Swindon in 2005.
Hai Nguyen, 20, disappeared from her home in Hesketh Crescent on June 27 2005.
She had come to England from Vietnam in May 2003 but Wiltshire Police refused to say whether she was ever found.
Halliwell was arrested in a supermarket car park on Thursday.
Detectives are hoping to speak with anyone who was poaching or lamping in fields around Ramsbury, 13 miles outside Swindon, in the early hours of Saturday March 19.
Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher said he was interested in any information they might have about suspicious activity in the area, and any possible sightings of a green Toyota Avensis.
He added: “I want to stress that we only want information from you that is relevant to the Sian O’Callaghan inquiry, we are not interested in prosecuting anyone for lamping or poaching.”
The body of Miss O’Callaghan, who disappeared from the Suju nightclub in Swindon in the early hours of Saturday March 19, was discovered in a shallow grave next to The White Horse of Uffington, in Oxfordshire, on Thursday.
Detectives discovered the second woman’s remains in a field in Eastleach in Gloucestershire on Saturday morning.
Police said that there was no evidence that O’Callaghan was sexually assaulted.
They believe that she was originally buried in Savernake Forest, but was moved after officers and members of the public concentrated their searches on the 4500-acre wood.
More than 5000 people gathered to pay tribute to O’Callaghan by floating an estimated 1,000 Chinese lanterns into the night sky at the Polo Ground in Swindon on Saturday night.
Hundreds of people then joined in a recital of The Lord’s Prayer as others lit candles and comforted each other.
