A 42-year-old man has denied murdering Jess Smith, who was shot in the back on New Year’s Day.

The body of Mr Smith, 36, of Potton, in Bedfordshire, was found in a car in First Drove, Burwell.

Mark Mosley, of First Drove, Burwell, was charged by police with murder and the attempted murder of another man, who was injured in the incident, on January 1.

Appearing at Cambridge Crown Court, on Monday, Mosley denied both charges and further denied one count of actual bodily harm and possessing a shotgun.

He was remanded in custody ahead of his trial, which is scheduled to begin on September 7.

A post mortem examination carried out on Mr Smith concluded that he died as a result of a gunshot wound to the back.

In a statement, his family described him as a “good man”.

They said: “Jess was a lovely husband and you couldn’t find a better father.

“He was a good man. We felt honoured to have him as the head of our family.”