Briton Robert Leeming charged with murdering mother and daughter in Canada

Robert Leeming is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her baby daughter Aliyah Sanderson (Picture: CTV)

A British man has been charged with murdering a woman and her one-year-old daughter in Canada.

Robert Leeming faces two counts of second-degree murder over the deaths of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her daughter Aliyah Sanderson.

The pair were last seen alive in the Cranston area of Calgary on the evening of April 16 and their bodies were found in woodland west of the city on Monday.

Leeming appeared in court via videolink on Tuesday after he was seen being led into a Calgary police station in handcuffs.

The bodies of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her daughter were found in woodland west of Calgary (Calgary Police Service)

He is due to appear again in court on May 14, Calgary Police said.

Investigations into how Ms Lovett and her daughter died are continuing, the force added.

Aliyah Sanderson was found dead along with her mother (Calgary Police Service)

In a statement released on Tuesday their family said their lives had been "devastated and our hearts are heavy".

"We are trying to understand how this tragedy could have happened to our loved ones," they said.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Leeming is from Stoke-on-Trent and had moved to Canada in 2013.