A tenant accused of murdering her landlord and stabbing his cat to death has been remanded in custody.

Habiba Naveed, 34, is accused of a “violent and sustained” attack on 72-year-old Christopher Brown at the home they shared in Polsted Road, Catford (pictured), last week, The Standard reports. Brown worked in the retail clothing sector before retiring in 2016.

Naveed is also accused of killing Brown's cat, called Snow, who lived with them, by stabbing the animal in the neck. This follows a murder investigation into the landlord's death led by Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command.

She was due to appear at the Old Bailey to face charges of murder and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, but she was absent from the hearing due to ill health.

Violent

Prosecutor Kerry Broome told the hearing: “The defendant is accused of murdering her landlord/friend. There was also the house cat found deceased at the property as well. The offence appears to be violent and sustained.”

The landlord was found dead at home in the early hours of 15th August and a postmortem concluded he died from blunt force trauma. Naveed, who was one of his lodgers, was arrested the same day and charged at the weekend. It is alleged she murdered Mr Brown between 14th and 15th August.

Judge Judy Khan ruled she should be remanded in custody and set a plea hearing for 5th November, which Naveed is expected to attend. No provisional date for a trial was fixed.