A NORTH-EAST man has been charged with the murder of his adoptive parents following a long-running mystery into their deaths in Australia.

Pam and Bill Weightman who originate from the Birtley area, near Chester-le-Street, died in the wreckage of their car when it plunged down a ravine.

Investigators initially believed the couple had purposefully run their car off the road in a double suicide pact.

But the case took a new turn when it was revealed that the Weightman's adopted son, David, 25, had been charged with their double murder.

The Weightmans had moved from the North-East in the early 1980s with David, who they had adopted when he was three months old.

Mr Weightman, 51, who had lost his foreman's job at the town's Royal Ordnance factory, realised his dream in Sydney, where he and his 50-year-old wife owned a kindergarten.

The couple's car was found on January 9, 2000, down a 60ft embankment with them inside.

Initial verdicts of accident death recorded by the coroner have been set aside and the inquest will not take place until the criminal case is complete.

A spokesman for the department of Public Prosecutions, in Cambeltown, said: "I can confirm we are dealing with David Weightman and two homicides.

"The matter is progressing and is listed for mention in court again on November 17."

A media suppression order is in place in Australia, banning journalists there from identifying the victims and defendant in the case.