BURNED pieces of a possible mobile phone were found in an oil drum in which a murder suspect allegedly destroyed items, a court heard.

Thomas Haigh, 26, of Denby Dale, is jointly charged with Ross Stone, 28, of murdering two drug dealers at a farm in Cornwall.

David Griffiths, 35, from Plymouth, and Brett Flournoy, 31, from Merseyside, were killed with a shotgun and their bodies burned in a van and buried in a pit.

Haigh and Stone deny the murders on June 16 last year at Sunny Corner, Trenance Downs, near St Austell.

Stone, who lived at the farm, admits disposing of the bodies.

According to prosecutors, the defendants joined forces to kill the men because of drug debts.

Truro Crown Court has already heard records that show on the day of the killings Haigh and Stone had been in touch via mobile phone calls and texts.

At 9.24pm Haigh’s phone was active for the last time and has not been used since.

By around 10pm Haigh was at the home of a friend of Stone’s, Ray Watts in St Austell with Mr Watts’ girlfriend Michelle Magri and two others.

Initially Mr Watts and Miss Magri gave the police statements saying Haigh was at the house all night.

However, on Tuesday the couple admitted to the jury they lied to police and said Haigh arrived with a black bin bag containing what he said was rubbish and burned it in an old oil drum outside the property.