THREE men have denied killing 21-year-old Reece James Menzies.

Wayne Stephenson, 33, Keifer Hutchinson, 22, and Jarome Parkinson, 24, all from London, entered not guilty pleas at a short hearing held at Winchester Crown Court yesterday.

They are charged, together with Kieron Wellington, 29, and Miss Terri Campbell, 22, both from Bournemouth, of the murder of the new father in Roumelia Lane in Boscombe on July 25 last year.

Stephenson, Hutchinson and Parkinson were arrested at addresses in London and the Folkestone area of Kent on August 21. Wellington and Campbell were arrested at an address in Westbourne on September 25 last year.

Mr Menzies, from London, was discovered dead in a flat at the junction of Roumelia Lane and Sea Road in the early hours of July 25.

He had been shot in the head.

A Contempt of Court Order is currently in place banning publication of the defendants’ addresses following legal submissions from their solicitors, who argued it could have significant impact on the investigation or administration of justice.

Judge Cutler did not take a plea from Wellington and Campbell after their defence barristers said they would be submitting an application to dismiss the case against them.

Their applications will be heard at a later date.

Prosecution team Timothy Mousley QC and Simon Jones told the court that the trial, which has been set for April 15, was scheduled to last around seven weeks. All five defendants were remanded in custody.