Overview
- Seyhan Assaf, 45, of Berwick Crescent, Sidcup, is charged with manslaughter and coercive or controlling behaviour in relation to the 2020 death of 36-year-old Gillian Morand in Bexley.
- Assaf appeared at Bromley Magistrates' Court on Saturday, was remanded into custody, and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on April 7.
- Detectives arrested Assaf on March 5 after a renewed investigation that followed post-inquest information alleging Morand had suffered domestic abuse.
- The Metropolitan Police allege Morand was abused over a significant period and that the abuse contributed to her death, while emphasising the complexity and rarity of such prosecutions.
- The CPS says there is sufficient evidence and public‑interest grounds to proceed, and police are appealing for anyone who knew Morand in the decade before her death to come forward.