TWO men appeared in court today in connection with events leading up to a man’s death.

Paul Barker, 28, and Dean Whitworth, 24, appeared before magistrates in Bishop Auckland on charges relating to a disturbance at the Beehive pub, in Bishop Auckland, in the early hours of August 10.

Mr Barker, from the Cumberland Arms, Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, and Mr Whitworth, from Elliott Way, St Helen Auckland, entered no pleas to a joint charge of affray. They were bailed until December 8.

Stephen Wilson, 48, from Bishop Auckland, died in The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, from head injuries the day after the disturbance.

Maurice Rowell, 26, of Hardisty Crescent, Bishop Auckland, has been charged with Mr Wilson’s murder, and will appear at Teesside Crown Court on Monday.