A man jailed for killing an 81-year-old vicar nine years ago is to go on trial for a second time.

Christopher Hunnisett, now 26, was 17 when he was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of the murder of the Rev Ronald Glazebrook, in St Leonards.

Hunnisett, who denied the charge, was found guilty in 2002 and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

The jail term was increased to 11 years in 2003 after appeal court judges ruled the sentence was unduly lenient.

Last month Hunnisett won an appeal against his conviction.

Judges at the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction and ordered a re-trial should take place.

Hunnisett appeared at Lewes Crown Court yesterday (mon) when he formally pleaded not guilty to murder and a trial date was set for August 31.

The retired clergyman was killed at his home in Dane Road in April 2001.

He was allegedly drowned in the bath and his body hacked to pieces. His severed head and limbs were found in a bag behind Summerfields leisure centre, in Hastings, while his torso was dumped by the A259 near Eastbourne.

For many years Mr Glazebrook worked with the underprivileged in Bethnal Green, east London, before retiring in the 1980s and moving to East Sussex. He had a passion for boats and kept a yacht moored at Newhaven.

Hunnisett, who was the vicar’s lodger at the time of the murder, was remanded in custody.