TWO men accused of lying to police about the true ownership of money recovered by officers are to stand trial next month.
Tjay Brian O’Neil, 29, and Paul Brown, 59, appeared at Carlisle Crown Court this morning (FRI) along with a third man, 68-year-old Wilson Peter O’Neil.
Tjay O’Neil, of Warwick Road, Carlisle, and Brown, of Lord Sefton Way, Formby, near Liverpool, each pleaded not guilty to single charges alleging acts “tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice”. They are each alleged to have lied to police in interview about who owned money found at two addresses on December 28, 2017.
Wilson O’Neil, of Ridley Road, Carlisle, denied one money laundering charge. This alleges that, between December 21 and 28 of 2017, he “concealed, disguised, converted or transferred criminal property namely, cash, knowing or suspecting it to represent in whole or part and whether directly or indirectly, the proceeds of criminal conduct”.
The three men, who attended today’s court hearing in person, are due to stand trial in front of a jury at the crown court in the week of July 27.
In the meantime they were granted unconditional bail and reminded by Judge Nicholas Barker to leave the courtroom with “good separation of two metres between the three of you”.