Man charged with murder of Wirral boxer

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A man has appeared in court today (Thurs) charged with the murder of two men.

Thomas Haigh, 25, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was charged on Wednesday with killing Brett Flournoy and David Griffiths, who disappeared in Cornwall more than a month ago.

He appeared before magistrates in Bodmin where he was remanded in custody before appearing before Truro Crown Court on Friday 22nd July.

The charge came two days after police confirmed that a van unearthed in a field north of the Cornish town of St Austell last Friday contained two bodies, which have yet to be formally identified.

Detectives using cadaver dogs and specialist underground search equipment found the human remains and van full of soil on land at Trenance Downs. A link to illegal drugs is one line of inquiry being followed by the team of up to 60 police officers investigating the murders.

Mr Griffiths, a father of three originally from Plymouth but living in Bracknell, Berkshire, and Mr Flournoy, a boxer and father of two from the Wirral, Merseyside, were last seen on Thursday June 16. Police appealed for help finding them a week later.

They are known to have arrived in Cornwall at around 7.30pm for what police called a "social visit".

It is thought the two men were travelling in a white Citroen Berlingo van, registration A10 VVR, which had "Tile Style" written in brown on both sides.

Mr Flournoy, 31, who had a partner Kelly and two young sons, Reis and Callum, is known to have picked up Mr Griffiths, 35, in the van from the car park on the Plymouth side of the Tamar Bridge, which links Devon and Cornwall, at around 7pm on June 16.

It is thought the men travelled across to Saltash in east Cornwall but were not seen alive again. Police said last week that, despite having no bodies, they were treating it as a double-murder inquiry.

A man was arrested last week and charged in relation to the investigation.

Ross Stone, 28, was charged on Saturday with disposing of a corpse to obstruct a coroner and will appear at Truro Crown Court tomorrow.