Ross Miller and Gary Miller appear in court charged with murder of Brandon Lee

A man has denied the murder of Brandon Lee at a hearing where his two alleged killers appeared in court.

Ross Miller and Gary Miller are charged with the murder of the 24-year-old, who was found unresponsive inside a property at Victoria Road, South Shields, last month.

Both accused men appeared at Newcastle Crown Court today (Monday, June 15) via video link to prison, where Ross Miller, who is being assessed by a psychiatrist, was not asked to enter a plea to the murder charge.

Gary Miller pleaded not guilty to murder.

Inquiries are continuing into the circumstances surrounding Brandon's death.

Both men will be back in court for a further hearing on August 14.

Judge Paul Sloan QC said a trial, which may last up to ten days, could take place on October 6.

Judge Sloan told them: "I am going to adjourn your case to a further pre-trial hearing. That hearing will be listed on August 14 and you will be linked in on that date."

Mr Lee, of Wansbeck Road, Jarrow, had injuries consistent with a bladed article and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

Ross Miller, 23, of Victoria Road, South Shields and Garry Miller, 25, of Beach Road, South Shields were both remanded in custody.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.