THREE people accused of murdering Jamie Dack looked up the story on the Daily Echo’s website when they saw a police cordon, a court has heard.

A statement was read to a jury at Winchester Crown Court from John Balcombe, the step-grandfather of defendant Donna Chalk.

He said Chalk had come round to his flat in Lodge Road, Southampton, with Andrew Dwyer-Skeats and Ryan Woodmansey on the day firefighters discovered Jamie’s charred body in a bin in Empress Road.

In the statement Mr Balcombe said the trio looked out of his window to see the police cordon around Empress Road.

Chalk and Dwyer-Skeats then went on the Daily Echo website and saw someone had been murdered.

Chalk, 21, and Dwyer- Skeats, 26 of Bevois Mews, and Woodmansey, 32, of no fixed abode, all deny murder. Lee Nicholls, 28, of Southampton Street, Southampton, has also pleaded not guilty to murder.

The men have admitted perverting the course of justice by disposing of and setting fire to Jamie’s body.

Chalk denies that charge.

Proceeding.