By IANS
London : Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, who was recently extradited from India to face trail here, Monday denied the kidnap, rape, and murder of Southampton teenager Hannah Foster.
Kohli, 40, pleaded not guilty to the three allegations as well as a fourth charge of false imprisonment of Foster, 17. Her body was found by the roadside in Allington Lane, West End, in March 2003. Kohli was arrested in India in July 2004 and after a long legal battle was extradited here in the summer.
At the initial hearing in the Winchester Crown Court Monday, Kohli appeared wearing a white t-shirt and dark trousers and flanked by three prison officers. An interpreter was sworn in to translate the proceedings into Kohli’s native language Punjabi.
Reports from Hampshire say that the trial, estimated to last three to six weeks, would be next October. The judge, the Recorder of Winchester, Michael Brodrick, said he wanted the case heard as soon as possible.
He said: “We have a family here of a young girl and this is already quite an old case, nearly five years. They will want to get the case tried and know the result as soon as possible. I have to try and ensure that process is done justly.”
After the 40-minute hearing the judge remanded Kohli into custody. A further pre-trial hearing is due to be held at Winchester in January.