Swanscombe man Colin Ash-Smith appears at Maidstone Magistrates' Court
charged with murdering Claire Tiltman in Greenhithe
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Claire Tiltman was found dead in an alleyway in 1993
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By Tom Morris
tmorris@thekmgroup.co.uk
A man has appeared in court for the first time
today charged with murdering Greenhithe schoolgirl Claire Tiltman 21 years
ago.
Colin Ash-Smith, from Swanscombe, did not enter a
plea and was remanded in custody.
The 45-year-old is next due to appear at
Maidstone Crown Court on Monday morning.
He appeared before magistrates in Maidstone via
video link this morning. Wearing a white t-shirt and black trousers, he
spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
The public gallery was packed with friends of
Claire and Ash Smith's father, Aubrey.
Ash-Smith is being prosecuted after lawyers were
handed a file by Kent Police following a cold case review.
Tilt, as she was known to her friends, was
stabbed more than 40 times in January 1993 in an alleyway off London Road,
Greenhithe.
It was just four days after her 16th birthday and
not far from her home in Woodward Terrace.
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The Greenhithe alleyway where Claire Tiltman was
stabbed
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Her mother, Linda, died in 2008 and her father,
Cliff, in September 2012 without seeing justice.
Claire, an only child, had been on her way to
visit a friend when she was attacked between 6pm and 6.30pm.
Claire, a Dartford Grammar School pupil, had
hoped to join the fire brigade and regularly visited her local fire station
while completing her Duke of Edinburgh Award.
