Men appear in court accused of committing murder in Exmouth

Five men have appeared in court accused of the killing of a 24-year-old man. Denva Smith succumbed to a single stab wound and was discovered in the garden of a property on Ashfield Close, Exmouth, Devon, on 31 May.

Dylan Chadwick, 23, from Cambourne Avenue, St Helens, Merseyside; Ben Mason, 23, currently with no fixed address; and Ben Helliker, 26, from Halsdon Road, Exmouth, all denied the murder charges when they appeared at Exeter Crown Court on Friday.

Zac Davies, 23, of Hawthorn Grove, Exmouth, and Thomas Ward, 24, of Russell Walk, Exeter, had earlier entered pleas of not guilty to the same charge. All five men have been remanded in custody pending trial.

The trial is scheduled to begin at Exeter Crown Court on 14 January and is anticipated to continue for up to six weeks.

Author: Benjamin Carter