A PROVISIONAL date was set today for the trial of a former police detective charged with murdering his partner.

Peter Foster, 35, is accused of killing Detective Constable Heather Cooper, 33, formerly of York, at their home in West Street, Haslemere, Surrey.

Her body was found by police in Blackdown Woods near Lurgashall, West Sussex, on Sunday evening.

A post-mortem examination found she died from a blow to the head and a stab wound to the throat.

The mother-of-two was described by her family as a much-loved daughter, sister and granddaughter in a statement released through Surrey Police, for whom she had worked since 2003.

Dressed in a plain white T-shirt, Foster spoke only to confirm his name and to say that he understood what was said when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court for a preliminary hearing.