Mr Wragg is a former serviceman who also served with the merchant navy

Former serviceman Andrew Wragg was arrested after paramedics were called to a house in Worthing, West Sussex.

Friends said his son Jacob had been ill with Hunter Syndrome - a rare, inherited condition which causes progressive physical deterioration.

Mr Wragg, 36, of Henty Close, was remanded in custody to appear before Lewes Crown Court on 5 August.

No application for bail was made at the hearing on Tuesday.

Paramedics called to the house after receiving a 999 call on Sunday treated Jacob before taking him to Worthing Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Both his parents were arrested - Jacob's mother, Mary Wragg, 37, was released without charge on Monday night.

In a statement released on her behalf on Tuesday, Mrs Wragg said she was anxious for a "period of quiet reflection" in which to come to terms with her son's "tragic death".

It described her as a "devoted and caring mother" who had no part in her son's death and who was "naturally pleased" that she had been exonerated by the police.

"This has been an extremely difficult time for her.

'Mercy mission'

"She has had to deal with learning of her son's death, being arrested for murder, detained in custody and then being informed that her husband has been charged with Jacob's murder in the space of a few days," the statement said.

Police said a post-mortem examination was being carried out on Jacob, but the results would not be made public.

Mr Wragg is a former serviceman thought to have recently returned from Iraq where he worked in private security - he has also served with the Merchant Navy and on board the QE2.

Four years ago, he and his wife raised money for a mercy mission to South Africa to help another child with the same condition.

Jacob had received care at the Chestnut Tree House hospice in Angmering and was there with his younger brother, George, when the facility was officially opened by Princess Alexandra.

Hunter Syndrome, which affects one in 150,000 people, can cause mental retardation, aggressive behaviour and hyperactivity - in its severest form it can lead to the death of children as young as 10.