A teenager appeared in court today charged with the murder of a 12-year-old schoolgirl.
Ronald Pattinson, 18, of Belsay Place, Arthurs Hill, Newcastle upon Tyne, appeared before magistrates in the city following the stabbing of Natalie Ruddick, who was found dead in her home on Wednesday.
The well-built teenager, who has cropped hair and a wore a white sweatshirt for the hearing today, confirmed his name and age but did not enter any plea.
The defendant was remanded in custody and will appear before Newcastle Crown Court in one week.
Natalie's body was found in the family's three-storey council house in Frosterley Place, on the New Mills estate, a few hundred yards from Newcastle United's St James's Park stadium.
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