Man, 63, charged with murders of his wife and her son

A man has been charged with the murders of his wife and her son in a small town in Essex.

Essex Police said 63-year-old Calogero Ricotta is accused of killing Maria Nugara, 54, and 29-year-old Giuseppe Morreale.

The force said it received a call at 9.50pm on Tuesday reporting that two people had been seriously injured at an address in Ugley , near Bishop’s Stortford.

Officers attended the address in Cambridge Road and found Ms Nugara and Mr Morreale, who were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Ricotta, of Cambridge Road, Ugley, faces two charges of murder and one count of actual bodily harm.

He was due to appear before Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Friday and wll then appear before Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday.

Lydia George, Essex Police detective inspector, said: “My thoughts are with the loved ones of the two people who were killed in Ugley.

“This will be an unimaginably difficult time for them and they will be supported by specialist officers.

“I know this incident will cause concern among within the local community but I want to reassure them that we have a team of experienced detectives and staff investigating.

“At this stage we do not believe this incident poses a risk to the wider public and we’re not looking for anyone else in connection with it."

Anyone who has information that might assist police with their investigation is urged to contact the force quoting reference 1271 28 May.

Alternatively, Crimestoppher can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via its wesbite.