Grantham man appears at Lincoln Crown Court to deny murder of Tony McDermott, father of 6

A man who denies murder following an alleged stabbing at a house in Grantham has today (Monday, January 8) appeared at Lincoln Crown Court.

Father of six Tony McDermott, 38, died in the early hours of Saturday, October 14, in Eton Street, Grantham.

Nicholas Ward, 37, of Eton Street, Grantham, has been charged with Mr McDermott's murder and appeared before Judge Simon Hirst at Lincoln Crown Court today.

Ward, who represented himself in court, entered a not guilty plea to the murder charge and will next appear at Lincoln Crown Court on 22 January.

The case is listed for a provisional trial date at Lincoln Crown Court on April 15. The trial is expected to last up to two weeks.

There was no application for bail and Ward was remanded into custody until his next court appearance.

Lincolnshire Police said Mr McDermott had been found with serious injuries which were believed to be knife wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene.