A man has pleaded not guilty to the New Year’s Day murder of a mother-of-one.
Charlotte Huggins, 33, was believed to have been the first person killed in London in 2019 when she was stabbed in Camberwell, south east London, early on 1 January.
Her boyfriend, Michael Rolle, 34, of Dulwich, south east London, entered a not guilty plea to her murder during a hearing at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.
Huggins was found at a property in John Ruskin Street at around 4.20am.
Paramedics tried to save her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination showed she had suffered a single stab wound.
Friends paid tribute on her Facebook page, describing her as “one of the truly decent people” and “a lovely, bubbly, happy, beautiful girl with a pure soul”.
Members of Huggins’ family sat in court for Rolle’s plea hearing before Judge Rebecca Poulet QC.
The defendant appeared in court via video-link from Thameside prison, wearing a bright yellow vest over a dark top.
Rolle faces a three-week trial at the Old Bailey, starting on 1 July.