A 29-YEAR-OLD Trowbridge man has appeared before magistrates charged with murdering father-of-four Paul Rodgers.

Leigh Page, of Magnolia Rise, in Trowbridge, was arrested on Sunday, May 5, an hour after police discovered the body of Mr Rodgers on a pavement in Broadcloth Lane in the town.

Detectives charged Page with murder 36 hours later, at 4pm on Monday.

Appearing at North West Wiltshire Magistrates Court in Chippenham on Tuesday, Page spoke only to confirm his name and address.

He was remanded in custody and will next appear at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.

Detectives launched a full-scale murder inquiry after being called to Broadcloth Lane by residents at 3.40am on Sunday.

Cordoning off the estate and setting up an incident room at Trowbridge police station, detectives drafted in specialist search teams and forensic scientists to scour the area for evidence.

A house in Magnolia Rise was sealed off and forensic officers examined a taxi parked just metres away from where Mr Rodgers' body was found.

Police searched storm drains in the area for evidence.

Det Insp Bob Hamlin, who is heading the investigation, said a team of 12 detectives was initially assigned to the case.

A post mortem examination carried out at Southmead Hospital in Bristol on Sunday revealed that Mr Rodgers died from a single stab wound to the chest, which penetrated his heart.

His heartbroken family, including 29-year-old brother Wayne and father Desmond, visited the hospital's chapel of rest where Mr Rodgers' body lay on Monday.

Neighbours living close to the scene of Mr Rodgers' death were shocked when police descended on the newly-built estate and started sealing off roads.

Resident Zoe Reeves, of Magnolia Rise, said: "It is very, very sad.

"It's so quiet around here you just don't expect this sort of thing to happen."

Detectives are appealing for any witnesses who might have been around the Magnolia Rise and Broadcloth Lane area of Trowbridge between 2.30am and 4am on Sunday morning to come forward with information.

The police incident room can be contacted on (01380) 722341.