A FATHER from Bishop's Waltham has appeared in court charged with the murder of his ten-week old daughter.

Mark Douglas Latta, known as Doug, sat solemnly in Portsmouth Magistrates' Court as he was accused of murdering his baby daughter Charlotte at the family home in Byron Close.

The 38-year-old was arrested last Thursday and questioned for two days by Hampshire police child protection officers before he was charged with the murder of Charlotte on Friday night.

As reported in later editions of the Daily Echo on Saturday, baby Charlotte had been taken to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester on December 2.

She was then transferred to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital where despite the efforts of doctors she died two days later.

Latta, who has two children from a previous marriage, was then questioned by detectives at Eastleigh police station before being charged with Charlotte's murder.

Residents of Byron Close, where divorcee Latta had lived for a year-and-a-half, expressed their shock at the news of the little girl's death.

One neighbour who did not wished to be named, said residents of the leafy cul-de-sac had all been quizzed by detectives investigating the case.

She said: "We didn't really know what was going on but there were a lot of officers at the house in the last week.

"We didn't know the family that well, just to say hello to in fact, but all this really has come as a shock. It is just awful news."

Charlotte was the couple's first child. They have three other children between them from previous relationships and they all lived at the home in Bishop's Waltham.

At the hearing on Saturday Latta was remanded in custody to reappear at Winchester Crown Court on Friday.

Ms Gale left the court without commenting to the press.