THE JURY has been sworn in for the trial of a west Wales businessman with links to Milford Haven.
Andrew Jones, 53, of Carmarthen, is charged with murdering Michael O’Leary, 55, of Nantgaredig.
Jones, who through his company owned commercial and residential property which he rented out in Milford Haven, pleaded not guilty to murdering the Carmarthenshire man at an earlier hearing.
Michael O’Leary was reported missing on the evening of January 27 after he failed to return home from work.
The whereabouts of the 55-year-old remain unknown.
Andrew Jones, of Bronwydd Road, Bronwydd, Carmarthen, pleaded not guilty to murder when he appeared in the dock of Swansea Crown Court via videolink.
A provisional trial date of September 14 was set, and the (then) 52-year-old was further remanded into custody.
The trial is expected to last three to four weeks.
The disappearance of Mr O’Leary, from Nantgaredig, sparked a major police search operation which included searches at a number number of locations in Carmarthenshire, stretches of the River
Towy, and a landfill site near Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley.
No body has yet been found, and Dyfed-Powys Police is continuing to appeal for anybody with information about what happened to the missing man to come forward.
A spokeswoman told The Herald: “Although we are several months on from the disappearance of Mike O’Leary, Dyfed-Powys Police continue to search for his body, and any evidence relating to his disappearance, until we are confident that we have exhausted all lines of enquiry. If anybody has any information, please contact us.”
Mr Jones denies the charge, the case continues.
