Two men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a 46-year-old man in south-west London.

Michael Swan, 45, and Gary Beech, 48, appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court over the death of Ian Tomlin.

Mr Tomlin died of a head injury following an incident in a communal area of a block of flats in Charlotte Despard Avenue, Battersea, on Wednesday.

Beech, who lives at Cromwell House, on Charlotte Despard Avenue, and Swan, of Enterprise Way, Wandsworth, were charged on Friday.

Ian Tomlin death
Police at the scene in Battersea (Tom Horton/PA)

Both appeared in court on Saturday morning wearing grey custody tracksuits and were flanked by two members of security staff.

They spoke only to confirm their names, addresses, dates of birth and nationalities as British during the brief hearing.

Prosecutor Toks Adesuyan said: “Both defendants are charged with an offence that can only be tried in the crown court.”

Magistrate Kevin Hearn remanded the men into custody ahead of a hearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday October 24.

The Metropolitan Police said a post-mortem examination carried out on Friday afternoon revealed Mr Tomlin died from a head injury “caused by blunt force trauma”.