Nine men in court over series of explosions across North Staffordshire

NINE men have appeared in court in connection with a series of explosions across North Staffordshire.

The blasts occurred at three addresses in Blythe Bridge, Cheadle and Weston Coyney on August 3.

Yesterday at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court Jason Taft, aged 41, of Bagnall, and Kevin Proctor, aged 43, of The Greenways, Milton, along with Edvinas Sermuksnis, aged 30, Thomas Leslie, aged 34, and Andrew Boal, aged 32, all of Northern Ireland, pleaded not guilty to conspiring to cause explosions and conspiring to make threats to kill.

Meanwhile, Martin Drewery, aged 42, of Sandy Lane, Brown Edge, denied a charge of conspiring to cause explosions.

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Michael Condlyffe, aged 52, of St Michael's Road, Newcastle, Anthony Hancock, aged 31, and Mark Jeffery, aged 48, both of Cardwell Street, Northwood, are facing charges of perverting the course of justice by lying to the police about the movements of a car.

Condlyffe and Hancock have denied the offence, while Jeffery is yet to enter a plea.

A tenth man, Thomas Leslie senior, aged 55, from Northern Ireland, has also been charged in connection with the case.

The trial is set for April 29 at Stafford Crown Court and is expected to last six to eight weeks. A pre-trial review will be held at the end of March.

Judge Paul Glenn refused an application by Taft's lawyers to grant him bail, and he was remanded in custody, along with Boal. The others were granted bail.