THE TRIAL of two men charged with the murder of missing Coventry mother Nicola Payne is commencing today (Monday, October 12).
Nigel Barwell, aged 51, from Copperas Street, and Thomas O’Reilly, aged 51, from Ribble Road, are both charged with the murder of teenager Nicola Payne, who went missing from the Wood End area of the city on December 14, 1991.
Barwell and O’Reilly were originally arrested in December 2013 in connection with Nicola’s disappearance and charged with her murder on January 27 this year.
Nicola Payne was just 19 years old when went missing while she was walking home from her boyfriend’s address in Henley Green.
Her son, Owen, was only seven months old at the time of her disappearance.
The investigation has remained on-going since, but was re-opened in 2012 following new information which came to light.
The jury were sworn in at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, October 5, but will open today.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.
