Man, 50, pleads not guilty to murdering mother-of-two, 33, who was found dead in a forest

A man has pleaded not guilty to murdering mother-of-two Katie Kenyon.

Andrew Burfield, 50, appeared at a pre-trial hearing at Preston Crown Court today.

Burfield, of Burnley, Lancashire, spoke only to confirm his name and to enter a not guilty plea when the charge of murder was read to him by the court clerk.

Katie, 33, from Padiham, Lancashire, vanished on April 22 after she was last seen leaving an address in Burnley and getting into a Ford Transit van.

Her family made desperate pleas for her safe return and police launched a large-scale investigation in a bid to trace her.

Katie Kenyon, 33, from Padiham, Lancashire, vanished on April 22 after she was last seen leaving an address in Burnley and getting into a Ford Transit van. Her body was found a week later

Andrew Burfield, 50, appeared at a pre-trial hearing at Preston Crown Court today

Specialist teams carried out extensive searches in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, where Katie’s body was discovered a week after she disappeared.

A post mortem found she died of head injuries.

The remainder of today’s 20-minute court hearing was concerned with legal matters that cannot be reported.

Several members of Katie’s family watched proceedings from the public gallery.

Burfield will next appear at the same court for a pre-trial review hearing on November 4.

The date for his trial, expected to last two to three weeks, has been fixed for November 15.

After Katie’s body was discovered, her family spoke of their ‘heart-breaking nightmare’.

Her sister Jenny Kenyon paid tribute to her ‘beautiful big sister’ and said she would love her forever.

A JustGiving Page in Katie’s memory has so far raised more than £27,000.