Ivan Nikolov, the suspect charged with the rape and murder of British national Janette Bennett in Bulgaria, has hanged himself, dir.bg reported on Thursday.

Nikolov, 40, has been charged with raping the British pensioner in Malomir village, in Yambol Region in southeastern Bulgaria on 30 July, and murdering her with extreme brutality. He reportedly set the dead body alight to conceal the crime.

Bennett’s charred remains were found some 200m from her house in Malomir on 31 July. Nikolov was arrested outside the village just hours after Bennett's body was found.

The suspect had killed himself while in police custody in Yambol on 25 August, according to regional prosecutor Doychin Doychev, dir.bg said.

Nikolov, who had reportedly been convicted of 10 offences ranging from theft to drunk driving between 2002 and 2012, has denied wrongdoing. Appearing in court after his detention by police, he said he had never met the victim and claimed he was arrested because his criminal record made him an easy target.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told journalists on 2 August that the DNA samples taken at the crime scene fully matched the DNA of the suspect.