A NORTH-East man has appeared in court charged with murdering a man outside a London nightclub.

George Arthur Lumsden, 41, of Whittingham Road, Newcastle, appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Saturday, charged with murdering Steven Pilling. He was remanded in custody.

Unemployed Mr Lumsden was arrested in Newcastle in the early hours of Thursday, in a joint operation between the Northumbria and Metropolitan police forces.

Mr Pilling, 44, died after an incident outside Flares nightclub, in Park Street, Croydon, on Sunday, July 27, at 2am.

The victim, from Surrey, who was married and had a 14-year-old son, died as a result of a blow to the head.