A man in Britain has appeared in court charged with preventing the lawful burial of a teenage girl found in a wardrobe wrapped in cling film.

Ashley Foster (24) was charged after the remains of a girl police believe to be Megan Louise Bills were found at a property in the West Midlands area.

Officers were called to a flat in Brierley Hill after neighbours reported a smell and once inside they "found a double wardrobe wrapped in clingfilm", Dudley Magistrates' Court heard.

Maxine Jarrousse-Jones, prosecuting, said: "The wardrobe was opened and a young female was found inside, deceased, and had been there a considerable amount of time - at least a couple of weeks."

As he was taken into court, Foster asked his father, who was sitting with family members in the public gallery: "Dad, where's Mum?"

The 24-year-old, of no fixed address, did not enter a plea and will appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on June 5th.

Miss Bills' cause of death is not yet known and police said a post-mortem carried out on Saturday was "inconclusive".

In a statement, her family said they were "devastated by the loss of our daughter, whose life has so unnecessarily been cut short".

They said: "Whilst nothing can fill the huge gap in our family life that Megan's passing has left we trust that in time we will have answers that will help us understand why this dreadful event has occurred.

"We would request that we are left alone to grieve at this emotional time. Rest in peace princess."

Detective inspector Caroline Corfield, the investigating officer, said: "Our hearts go out to Megan's family as they come to terms with this dreadful news and they have asked that they are given the privacy to do so.

"Our investigation is continuing as we work to establish the circumstances of Megan's death so that we can provide her family with the answers they need."