A TRIAL date has been set for two men accused of causing grievous bodily harm to the partner of Lucy McHugh's mother.

Today, Wayne Grant and Charlie Whitemore appeared at Southampton Crown Court to enter not guilty pleas to the allegations.

It comes after Richard Elmes was allegedly assaulted outside Shayona News, in Windrush Road, on Sunday, July 21.

Grant, 27, of Byron Road, and Whitemore, 22, of Waveney Green, are now due to face trial in January.

Whitemore was granted conditional bail.

Grant was remanded in custody.

As previously reported, Mr Elmes is the partner of Stacey White, who is the mother of murdered schoolgirl Lucy McHugh.

In July this year the schoolgirl’s killer, Stephen Nicholson, was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 33 years.

He was found guilty of murdering the teenager, whose body was found in a wooded area of Southampton Sports Centre in July last year.

The 25-year-old, of no fixed address, was also found guilty of three counts of rape against Lucy when she was 12 and a count of sexual with activity with another girl, who was 14.