A MURDER charge has been levelled against two men following the discovery of a body in Port Glasgow, the Telegraph can reveal.

Daniel Langman and Anthony McGovern are said to have used a ligature in the alleged killing of Anthony Collins.

Langman, 46, and McGovern, 35, appeared at Greenock Sheriff Court yesterday afternoon accused of assaulting and killing Mr Collins.

The charge against the pair alleges that, while acting together, they initially attacked him by means presently unknown to prosecutors.

It is further claimed that the 'did place a ligature around his neck and did murder him'.

The Crown says that the alleged killing took place within Langman's flat on the Port's Mackie Avenue on Sunday.

Langman and McGovern, of Victoria Road in Dunoon, were arrested and had been held in police custody until their court appearance yesterday afternoon.

Both men made no plea through lawyers Terry Gallanagh, of the McCusker, McIlroy and Gallanagh law firm, and Ian Seivewright after appearing separately in private on petition before Sheriff Michael Higgins.

Officers were initially treating Mr Collin's death — reported to officers at around 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon — as 'unexplained'.

But the investigation became a murder inquiry on Monday.

A police cordon was thrown around the vicinity of the property in which Mr Collins' body was found while forensics experts worked inside.

Uniformed officers stood guard in the area for several hours as the probe continued.

An eyewitness to the police activity said on Sunday: "There was a bit of commotion in the afternoon and then a police van appeared outside the flat and it was there for hours.

"There was a lot of police activity so it was clear that something serious was going on."

In a statement released later, Police Scotland said: "Around 3.30pm on Sunday 16 May, officers were called to a flat in Mackie Avenue in Port Glasgow.

"A man was pronounced dead at the scene."

Langman and McGovern have had the case against them committed for further examination by Sheriff Higgins.

Both men have been remanded in custody and are due to appear again on the matter next week.