Man, 23, charged with murder after fatal Teesside house fire

Seven-year-old girl and aunt, 34, died and four others were injured in blaze near Middlesbrough last week

A 23-year-old man has appeared in court charged with murdering a seven-year-old girl and her aunt who died in a house fire.

Natalie McDonald, 34, and Valentina Foster died and four other people were injured in the blaze in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of 26 August.

Jaden Wright, of no fixed address, appeared before Teesside magistrates court on Tuesday for a hearing that lasted less than two minutes.

Wright briefly greeted his solicitor as he was brought into the dock before he was remanded in custody to appear before Teesside crown court on Thursday.

The court clerk outlined that he faces two murder charges, two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and two charges of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. The charges relate to the six people who were in the house, two of whom cannot be identified by the media due to their age.

The clerk said Wright faced a separate charge of intentional strangulation over an incident said to have happened on the day before the fire.

Cleveland police said on Friday that a 48-year-old woman was in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in a “critical but stable” condition after the fire and a 27-year-old man was at James Cook university hospital receiving treatment. Two teenage girls were discharged after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.

Katie Smith, the senior investigating officer from Northumbria police, said: “This has been a truly tragic incident and my thoughts remain with the families of all those involved. I would like to thank local residents for their support and patience during this complex investigation. Anyone who may still have information, or has any concerns, can still submit information using the major incident public portal.”

Katie Nicholson, the chief crown prosecutor for CPS North East, said: “Our prosecutors have worked closely with Cleveland police to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court. We remind all concerned that proceedings against the defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.”

A 31-year-old man who was also arrested in connection with the case was released without charge on Sunday.