A 39-year-old man charged with murdering a retired Anglesey man, who was shot outside his home with a crossbow, has pleaded not guilty.

Defendant Terence Michael Whall, of Garddefa, Bryngwran, Anglesey, appeared at Mold Crown Court and also denied a charge of perverting the course of justice, along with three others, amid allegations that they conspired together to set fire to a vehicle later found burnt out.

A trial will be held in January.

Retired college lecturer Gerald Corrigan, 74, was shot in the chest with a crossbow on Good Friday while adjusting a

satellite aerial outside his remote home near Holyhead. He died nearly a month later on 11 May.

Whall, Darren Dennis Jones, 41, of The Bryn Ogwen Estate at Penrhosgarnedd; Martin Wayne Roberts, 34, of James Street in Bangor, and Gavin Jones, 36, of High Street, Bangor, all denied that on June 1 they conspired together to pervert the course of justice by allegedly setting fire to a Landrover Discovery found burnt out at Llanllechid.

Judge Rhys Rowlands fixed a joint trial to start on January 14 next year.

It is expected to last some four to five weeks and will take place at Mold Crown Court.

Judge Rowlands today set a time table, in preparation for the trial, during today's hearing, which lasted some 40 minutes.

A pre-trial review will be held in December, either in Cardiff or Mold.

Prosecuting barrister Michael Jones QC suggested that a site visit would be extremely useful for the jury.

All four defendants were remanded in custody in the meantime.

The court was told that there was a continuing police investigation into the case.

Mr Corrigan worked as a lecturer in photography and video in Lancashire before retiring to Anglesey more than 20 years ago, and had a keen interest in nature.