A 14-year-old has appeared in court charged with murder after a body was found during the search for a missing teenage girl in south Wales.

The body was not formally identified but police believe it to be that of a girl, also 14 and named as Lilly Jones, who was reported missing.

The discovery was made in Duffryn Park in Blaina, Blaenau Gwent, at about 22:10 BST on Monday.

The boy from the Blaenau Gwent area, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke only to confirm his name and address at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Wearing a grey t-shirt and flanked by two prison officers, the defendant looked around the room and listened intently to proccedings during the brief hearing.

The defendant’s mother was also in court.

Sitting in a youth court, Judge Sophie Toms asked the defendant if he could hear her, and he replied, “yes”.

The teenage defendant was remanded into secure youth detention accommodation and will appear in Cardiff Crown Court on Monday.

Det Ch Insp Steven Thomas from Gwent Police previously said in a statement, external: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Lilly at this difficult time.

“We understand that there has been a great deal of interest in this ongoing investigation.

“It is vital that people consider how their language, especially comments made online, could affect our ability to bring anyone found to have committed a criminal offence to justice.

He said police inquiries would continue and there would still be a significant police presence in the area.

“Examinations of scenes will be continuing over the coming days, including at Duffryn Park, where cordons remain in place.”

Jenny Hopkins of the Crown Prosecution Service stressed there “should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings”.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.