Two men charged as part of murder probe into Barry Cairns death in Leigh Park appear in court

By Steve Deeks
Published 24th Jul 2023, 11:47 BST
Updated 24th Jul 2023, 15:40 BST
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Two men charged as part of the murder probe into the death of Barry Cairns in Leigh Park have appeared in court.

Police were called at 7.02am on Monday June 19 to the Chalton Crescent area following the discovery of the 53-year-old’s body. It led to Dale Edmonds, 47, of Warnford Crescent in Leigh Park, and Mark Walkley, 42, of no fixed address, being charged with perverting the course of justice.

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Following a previous hearing before magistrates, they were both remanded in custody to appear at Portsmouth Crown Court today – where neither defendant entered a plea. The court heard the Crown had “not settled on the indictment” yet as police await toxicology and pathology reports before making a final decision over charges. A provisional trial date was set for November 27.

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The funeral of Barry Cairns from Leigh Park took place on Friday, July 21, at The Oaks Crematorium in Havant. Picture: Sarah Standing (210723-9760)The funeral of Barry Cairns from Leigh Park took place on Friday, July 21, at The Oaks Crematorium in Havant. Picture: Sarah Standing (210723-9760)
The funeral of Barry Cairns from Leigh Park took place on Friday, July 21, at The Oaks Crematorium in Havant. Picture: Sarah Standing (210723-9760)

Judge Michael Bowes KC said the “scope of the case is not yet known” before telling the defendants: “You’ve heard your trial timetable, your trial is set for November 27 with there a number of hearings in-between.”

Both men remained remanded in custody.

Officers are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Barry’s death and have encouraged anyone with information who has not yet spoken to police to submit any information via the police online portal mipp.police.uk/operation/44HC23E06-PO1

Barry’s funeral took place on Friday at The Oaks Havant Crematorium as family and friends remembered the son and dad. The procession saw a horse and carriage provided by The Madgewicks while Pook Lane Stables also provided a horse and rider to stand at the entrance of the crematorium for horse-loving Barry.