Two men deny student’s murder

Mar 5 2008 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Daily Post

TWO men have denied murdering a fellow university student during a night out.

Siôn Hardy, 24, of Bangor, a planning undergraduate at Liverpool University, died after suffering a brain haemorrhage following a disturbance in the city centre.

Yesterday Simon Taylor, a building student at John Moores University and Kevin O’Dea pleaded not guilty to his murder.

Taylor, 20, who was living in Everton but is from Wigan appeared via video link from Altcourse prison.

O’Dea, 22, who is on bail and now living in Salford, Manchester, appeared in the dock, wearing a black suit.

Both men spoke only to confirm their names and enter their pleas at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.

They are due to stand trial on April 14.

Mr Hardy, whose uncle is television presenter John Hardy, was studying planning and civic design at the University. He died after a disturbance broke out after he left Nation on November 15.

In January, the university announced Mr Hardy would receive a posthumous degree.