Five to face trial over body found in woods

FIVE PEOPLE will go on trial over the death of a woman whose burnt body was found in a woodland in an affluent neighbourhood of a Yorkshire city.

Akshar Ali, 26, and Yasmin Ahmed, 26, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 26-year-old Sinead Wooding. Miss Wooding’s body was discovered by joggers near Alwoodley Crags car park in Stairfoot Lane on Sunday, May 14.

Ali, of Kings Road, Hyde Park, and Ahmed, of Reginald Mount, Chapeltown, both Leeds, appeared in the dock at Leeds Crown Court alongside three other defendants.

Asim Ali, 20, of Kings Road, Hyde Park, Akhtar Bi, 44, also of Kings Road, and Vicky Briggs, 25, of Reginald Mount, Chapeltown, pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender. The charge against Asim Ali relates to obtaining a vehicle to “dispose of the corpse... and assisting in the disposal and burning” of the body.

The charge against Briggs relates to “assisting in the cleaning up and burning of material” following the alleged murder. Bi is accused of making arrangements to get a vehicle to dispose of the corpse of Sinead Wooding.

A trial will be held on November 13 and is expected to last up to five weeks. The public gallery was full throughout yesterday’s 40-minute hearing, and the court heard there was still a lot of scientific work to be undertaken in the inquiry.

Prosecutor Nicholas Campbell said: “One of the difficulties caused is not only the destruction to the body, but also the destruction of a large amount of material in a bonfire set on the night the body was taken from the place of murder to Adel woods.”

Akshar Ali and Ahmed were remanded in custody. The other defendants were granted bail.