TWO men have appeared before a crown court judge and denied killing another man whose body has never been found.

Michael Kemp, 31, and Lewis Scudder, 32, both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Paul Rowlands in September 2003.

Mr Rowlands was last seen alive in Cecil Road, Sheerness, on September 2 that year.

Kemp, who has a bail address in James Street, Sheerness, and Scudder, formerly of Noreen Avenue, Minster, but now living in Franklin Road, Dartford, also deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Maidstone Crown Court heard it is alleged that between August 1 and November 30 2003 they concealed or destroyed evidence relating to Mr Rowlands’s death.

Scudder also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Rowlands, causing actual bodily harm, in August that year.

Both men were released on bail until their trial, which is expected to start on July 4 and last three to five weeks.