A court was told it was 'a set up killing'
Two men accused of murdering a man in Breaston have appeared in court and entered pleas. Owen Fairclough's body was found on a path near Risley Lane at 7.20pm on June 23.
Today at Derby Crown Court Jack Towell and David Oswald both pleaded not guilty to the 21-year-old's murder. They also denied a second charge of possessing a knife, Derbyshire Live reports. A third man, Jason Hill, appeared over a video link from HMP Nottingham, but was not asked to enter pleas. Peter Joyce KC, prosecuting, told the short hearing there were "a number of potential motives" for what he called "a set-up killing" of the victim.He said Mr Fairclough had two mobile phones, both of which were found "smashed up and disposed of within 400 yards of the scene of his death".
At a hearing just over a month ago, a provisional trial date was set for January 22, 2024, with a four-week time estimate. This morning their barristers, Lesley Pidcock, Clive Stockwell KC and Daniel Travers, did not apply for bail on their behalf. They were remanded into custody and will next appear at the same court on October 23 for a further case management hearing.
Following his death, Mr Fairclough’s family provided a statement in which they paid tribute to him. It read: “Owen was a loving young man. He loved his family and his job. He was a homely, kind person who loved cooking. Owen had his whole future to look forward to and really wanted his own family one day. We are devastated to lose him.”