A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a former pub licensee from near the Shropshire border.

The body of Lisa Ruth Consterdine, 48, former licensee at the Crown Hotel in Audlem, was found at an address in Purslane Drive, Bicester, Oxfordshire, on March 1.

Thames Valley Police said a 50-year-old man, Sean Freaney, has been charged with her murder.

A spokeswoman for Oxford Crown Court confirmed today that Freaney, of Purslane Drive, Bicester, appeared at the court on Monday. He was remanded in custody until May 4 when he will enter his plea.

Today Bob Cartwright, who runs the Audlem online website, said he believed Lisa, also known as Lisa Emmitt, had moved away from the area about 15 years ago, but she was known for running pubs in the area in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She also ran The Bowling Green pub in Nantwich.

Mr Cartwright said: “Lisa was the daughter of Tom and Joy Consterdine who ran the Crown Hotel for many years and were extremely well known in the Audlem area.

“Lisa later took over the licence and appointed managers to look after the running of the pub.

“The Crown eventually closed and was converted to flats and saw the addition of Crown Mews.”

Lisa was found unconscious at her home in the early hours of March 1. Despite the efforts of police and paramedics to revive her, she was declared dead at the scene.

In a statement, Lisa’s daughters, Claire and Kathryn Forster, said: “We would like to thank our close friends and family for the flowers and support in this hard time.

“We are going through a terrible time at the moment, and would like people to respect our privacy.

“Our mum was beautiful, loving, and the best mum ever.

“She adored her granddaughter and her granddaughter adored her. She was the best nana and we will truly miss her.

“Just because she is no longer here, our love for her will never die and she will never be forgotten.

“May her soul rest in peace. We love you mum.”

By Suzanne Roberts