Grantham woman who denies providing false information during murder trial of Tony McDermott to face trial in September

A woman who denies deliberately providing false information during the investigation into the murder of Grantham man Tony McDermott has today (Thursday, February 13) appeared at Lincoln Crown Court.

Julie Kavanagh, 52, is to stand trial on September 1 charged with doing acts intended to pervert the course of public justice between October 20, 2023, and January 31, 2024.

It is alleged that Ms Kavanagh, of Avenue Road, Grantham, deliberately passed on false information regarding the identity of Mr McDermott's killer to members of his family.

Judge Simon Hirst told Ms Kavanagh that she had pleaded not guilty to the offence and would now face a trial.

The trial is expected to last up to four days.

Ms Kavanagh was granted bail and will next appear at Lincoln Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing on June 6.

Father-of-six Tony McDermott, 38, was stabbed 51 times by Nicholas Ward in October 2023.

Ward, who had been friends with Mr McDermott, was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 20 years in May last year.

Jurors heard Ward "tortured" Mr McDermott after falsely accusing him of stealing his computer.