FOUR people have appeared in court charged with the murder of John Littlewood.
James Riley, 30, and Donna Balfour, 35, both of Ninth Street, Blackhall Colliery, and Marty Bates, 29, and Tracey Bunney, 44, both of Tenth Street, Blackhall Colliery, have been jointly charged with murder.
Mr Riley and Miss Balfour also face a joint charge of intimidation of a witness.
Teesside Crown Court heard that a provisional trial date had been set for April next year.
Judge Stephen Ashurst remanded all four in custody ahead of their next hearing on December 20 when they will be asked to indicate a plea to the charges.
Mr Littlewood – known as John D – was found dead in a house in the village on Tuesday, July 30.
The 36-year-old died as a result of head injuries.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article