A JURY consisting of eleven women and one man was sworn-in on Tuesday afternoon as the murder trial of Lindsay Birbeck commenced at Preston Crown Court.

The mother-of-two, from Huncoat, went missing on August 12 last year.

Police launched a missing persons appeal and extensive searches of the areas close to Burnley Road, where Mrs Birbeck lived, were carried out by officers.

Members of the Hyndburn community also took part in the search operation, which covered woodland known locally as ‘The Coppice’ as well as surrounding areas.

The 47-year-old’s body was found 12 days later in Accrington Cemetery on August 24.

A post-mortem examination showed she died as a result of compression of the neck.

On August 27, a 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection with Mrs Birbeck’s disappearance and on August 31, detectives charged the teenager, from Accrington, with her murder.

Now aged 17, the boy denies murdering the teaching assistant and appeared before Preston Crown Court on Tuesday.

The prosecution will open the case on Wednesday morning, and evidence will be heard in court on Wednesday afternoon.

The trial is expected to last approximately two weeks.

For updates on the trial follow the blog, which will be live on the Lancashire Telegraph website from 10am.