Man pleads not guilty to murdering missing woman

A 47-year-old man has denied murdering Julie Buckley, a 54-year-old woman who has been missing since late January. Karl Hutchings appeared in Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charge. Buckley was last seen on January 28 in a Budgens supermarket located in March, Cambridgeshire. Police declared a “no-body murder” investigation last month after they began searching for her. During the court hearing, Hutchings appeared via video link from Peterborough prison. He confirmed his name and plea before briefly leaving to use the restroom. The charge states he is accused of murdering Buckley between January 20 and January 31. Judge Mark Bishop has kept Hutchings in custody and scheduled his trial for September 29. The trial is expected to last about four weeks. Detective Inspector Rich Stott from Cambridgeshire Police believes that Julie Buckley may have come to harm. Search teams have been looking in the water near Bedlam Bridge and Boots Bridge. A fisherman reportedly found what is thought to be human hair in the water, and police are awaiting test results to see if it belongs to Buckley. Authorities are asking anyone who saw anything unusual or has dashcam footage from the March and Christchurch areas around January 29 and 30 to contact them. They can reach police by calling 101 and quoting Operation Dragonfish.