A woman and three men are to stand trial over alleged efforts to destroy or cover up information about the killing of a man whose body was found in a Bedworth house.
John Allison and Scott Warner have already pleaded not guilty at Warwick Crown Court to the murder of 33-year-old Daniel Pitham on May 4.
Mr Pitham’s body was discovered after the police forced entry to a house in Bulkington Road, Bedworth, on May 6, and it was found he had died from a single stab wound to the heart.
Allison (30) of Bulkington Road, Bedworth, and Warner (36) of Missing Oak Close, Bedworth, have both been remanded in custody to stand trial at the court in the New Year.
But they were in the dock as Allison’s wife Toni Allison sat in front of the dock alongside Bradley Gane, James Gould and Lee Williams to face charges of perverting the course of justice.
Gane, (39) of Braytoft Close, Coventry, pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice by allegedly deleting data from his phone relating to the death of Daniel Pitham.
He also denied assisting an offender by booking a room at the Coombe Abbey Hotel for Allison and Warner with intent to impede their arrest and prosecution.
Gould (35) of Hayes Lane, Exhall, near Coventry, pleaded not guilty to two charges of perverting the course of justice.
The charges allege that he went to 44 Bulkington Road and assisted Allison and Warner to conceal the murder of Mr Pitham and their alleged involvement in it, and that he delated data from his phone relating to contact with Allison.
Toni Allison (34) of Abbey Street, Nuneaton, also denied two charges of perverting the course of justice.
She is alleged to have advised her husband to get rid of his mobile phone in the aftermath of the murder, and to have disposed of the sim card from her own phone.
Williams (28) of Beechwood Road, Bedworth, also pleaded not guilty to two charges of perverting the course of justice.
He is also said to have gone to 44 Bulkington Road and assisted Allison and Warner to conceal the murder of Mr Pitham and their alleged involvement in it, and to have delated data from his phone relating to contact with Allison.
After they had all entered their pleas, prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said the trial of Allison and Warner on the murder charge, which it has been estimated will take four to six weeks, had been fixed to begin on January 6.
And he said the prosecution would be applying to join the indictment against the other four to the murder charge, for all six to be tried together.
The case was adjourned for that application to be considered at a hearing in November, and for all six to stand trial – either together or in two separate trials.
Allison and Warner were remanded in custody, but the other four were all granted bail with a condition that they do not have any contact with each-other or with any civilian prosecution witnesses.
Adjourning the case until the next hearing in November, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano told them: “There is going to be a great deal of work to be done before then.
“You are going to have to work with your lawyers to prepare defence case statements. They need to be as detailed as possible.”
