Men Deny Murdering Woman Who Went Missing In May

25 July 2019, 13:13 | Updated: 25 July 2019, 13:20

Wolverhampton Crown Court

Two men have denied the murder of a 42-year-old woman whose body was found a month after she went missing

David Leesley and Nathan Maynard-Ellis entered not guilty pleas to a single charge of murdering Julia Rawson when they appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday.
 
The charge against Leesley, aged 24, and 29-year-old Maynard-Ellis alleges that they killed Ms Rawson on May 12 this year.
Specialist police officers found Ms Rawson's body in the Tipton area of the West Midlands on June 12.
 
Leesley, of Dereton Close, Russells Hall, Dudley, and Maynard-Ellis, of Mission Drive, Dudley Port, were both remanded in custody until a further hearing at the same court.
 
Adjourning the case until a pre-trial hearing on October 14, Judge James Burbidge QC told the men: "You have both denied responsibility for the crime alleged against you. Ultimately, you will be tried."
 
The judge vacated a proposed trial date in October and told the defendants a new date for the hearing was likely to be listed in 2020.