A man appeared in court this afternoon charged with the murder of an Ashtead housewife.

Paul Cryne, a 58-year-old former lifeguard living in Thailand, appeared in Guildford Magistrates' Court accused of murdering Sharon Birchwood.

Surrey Police extradited Mr Cryne, who landed in Heathrow early this morning.

Mrs Birchwood, a myalgic encephalopathy (ME) sufferer was found by paramedics in her bedroom, fully clothed at 1pm, on Friday, December 7, 2007.

She had been trussed up, bound and gagged with parcel tape and electrical wire.

Her ankles had been tied and there was tape around her neck and head.

The electrical cord had been repeatedly wound around her head and a small metal handle had been used, it appears, to act as a tourniquet.

The ligature around her neck and the gagging of her mouth had caused asphyxia.

He was named in Croydon Crown Court as an associate of Graham Birchwood, Mrs Birchwood’s ex-husband, who was jailed for 32 years for her murder in June.

Formerly from Manchester and now living permanently in Thailand, Mr Cryne, it is claimed, has a British Chief Constable’s commendation and 157 citations for lifesaving, and has also appeared in the Guinness Book of Records for completing a 24-hour underwater swim and swimming underwater from Scotland to Ireland.