Buried body: three men are charged with murder

Three men have appeared in court charged with murdering a man whose body was found buried in North Lanarkshire.

Andrew Shilliday, 38, Garry Smith, 33, and Michael Archibald, 30, are accused of killing Graeme Ferry, 25, in April.

Lisa McAteer, 30, and 27-year-old Pamela Sneddon also face charges, along with the three men, of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

All five deny the charges against them. The case, at the High Court in Glasgow, was continued until February.

Mr Ferry was last seen in his home town of Bellshill on 2 April. His body was found in the nearby Cleland area on 12 September.

Mr Shilliday, Mr Smith and Mr Archibald are charged with forcing Mr Ferry into a car at 66 John Bowman Gardens, Bellshill, on 2 April and murdering him during the course of a journey to Kirk O’Shotts.

It is also alleged that they concealed Mr Ferry’s body within a wooded area at Kirk O’Shotts, then returned and removed personal effects and clothing from his body and disposed of them.

The three are also charged with transporting the body to an area of wasteland at Chapelknowe Road, Cleland, on a date between 2 and 5 April, and burying him there.

It is alleged that on various occasions between 2 and 5 April, Smith texted and called Mr Ferry’s mobile and phoned his mother Janette Ferry to inquire if he had returned home.