THE lover of a Bolton businessman, found dead in the bedroom of his plush home with head injuries caused by an axe, has appeared in court.

Mother-of-one Janet Charlton, 35, who lives in the Wakefield area, faced a charge of murdering Daniel O'Brien, pictured, when she appeared at Leeds Crown Court.

She was refused bail and remanded in custody until a further court hearing on September 7, when a trial date is expected to be fixed.

Mr O'Brien was discovered in his detached home in Midgley, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in May this year.

The 41-year-old businessman had moved to the house after previously living in Rawtenstall for about four years after moving there from Harwood, where his elderly mother Elizabeth still lives.

Most recently he had worked as a consultant for British Gas.