Man denies golf club beheading

A man was remanded in custody in Britain today after he denied beheading a colleague at an exclusive golf club.

Restaurant manager Chris Varian, 32, was decapitated close to The Oxfordshire’s luxurious hotel last August.

Jonathan Limani, 34, a waiter at the golf club, was later charged with his murder.

Limani, dressed in an open-necked white shirt and loose jacket, spoke only to confirm his name and enter a plea of “not guilty” when he appeared before Judge Anthony King at Oxford Crown Court.

The Albanian national, of Rycote Lane, Thame, Oxfordshire, showed no emotion as he stood in the dock surrounded by security officers while the charge against him was read out.

Relatives of Mr Varian, who flew into the country from France for the hearing, sat quietly in the public gallery.

Judge King told Limani: “You will be remanded in custody until March 21 or the beginning of your trial, now fixed for March 19 – whatever is the earlier date.

“At the present time you have been transferred to Broadmoor special hospital. There, you are subject to a remand in custody.”

Limani, who required an interpreter to translate proceedings, was told his trial would last two and a half weeks.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Varian, from Stone in Buckinghamshire, died from stab wounds to the neck following the attack in Thame, Oxfordshire, on August 21 last year.

In a statement released after his death, Mr Varian’s parents, brother and sister said: “Chris was a wonderful person, everyone’s friend.

“You could not wish to find a harder and more honest worker. He was truly a gentle man who wouldn’t hurt a fly. His passing leaves a hole in this family which can never be filled or forgotten.”