A MARTIAL arts instructor has been charged with the murder of his wife who vanished from their Southampton home 15 months ago.

David Gibson, of Purvis Gardens, Sholing, is accused of killing mother-of-five Belinda Gibson with the help of his father, and disposing of her body at sea in February last year.

The 32-year-old was yesterday jointly charged with his father, Leslie Gibson, 64, of Mortimer Road, Woolston, following a long-running police investigation into Belinda's disappearance.

Both men appeared before Basingstoke magistrates yesterday afternoon to face one joint charge of murdering Belinda on a date between February 15 and 17 last year.

Bail applications on behalf of both men were refused and the pair were remanded in custody until Monday, when they are due to appear before Winchester Crown Court.

Wearing jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, David Gibson spoke only to give the court his name, address and date of birth.

His father Leslie, a retired dockworker, wore a pale grey shirt, trousers and anorak, and spoke only to provide the same details.

Belinda's mother, Gloria Dunne, 52, of West End, and Belinda's younger sister, Donna Gough, 30, of Portsmouth, were among spectators in the public gallery.

Murder squad detectives charged both men after they answered bail at a pre-arranged appointment at Winchester police station at 11am yesterday.

Both father and son had initially been arrested by police in May last year. The pair had since been questioned about the case on several occasions, most recently at Winchester last month.

Former hairdresser Mrs Gibson, 32, vanished from the family home on Saturday, February 16 last year.

Described as a private person who rarely ventured out, she was known to have been suffering from depression at the time.

Police initially launched a routine missing person's inquiry but later stepped up investigations. Nobody has ever been found. The murder charges follow a long-running police inquiry codenamed Operation Asgard.

Led by Det Chief Insp Bob Duncan, the investigation has involved a small squad of detectives working from a major incident room at Hulse Road divisional police headquarters in Southampton.

Last December, Mrs Gibson's husband made an emotional appeal for his missing wife to return in time for Christmas.

The martial arts instructor has repeatedly protested his innocence over Belinda's disappearance. In May last year, he told the Daily Echo: "I have worked very closely with the police and I have asked the press to help me find my wife."

Hampshire police say they are still running active inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Belinda Gibson's disappearance.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Operation Asgard incident room on 0845 045 4545, or the anonymous Southern Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.