Paul Morson disappearance: Three deny murder

Three men have appeared in court charged with murdering a St Helens man who has been missing for over a year.

Paul Morson, 31, was last seen in a friend's borrowed Renault Kangoo van on Tarbock Road, on 8 June last year.

Ray Brierley, 59, from Whiston, Scott Callaghan, 33, from Anfield, and John Burns, 33, from Huyton, all pleaded not guilty at Liverpool Crown Court.

All three have been remanded to appear back in court on 16 July for a plea and directions hearing.

Mr Callaghan has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.

Police said Mr Morson's disappearance was out of character and, despite extensive inquiries, he has never been traced

Officers have found no evidence he has been in contact with friends, family or acquaintances.

The van he had borrowed was found abandoned on the A50 in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, two weeks after he was last seen.