THE first court hearing has been held into the deaths of a couple found asphyxiated in a Spanish basement.

Widnes man Anthony O'Malley and his wife, Linda, were house hunting when they disappeared. Their bodies were found at a villa near Benidorm.

Two Venezuelean men were arrested.

Now the men have entered pleas and given statements before a Spanish judge in Alcoy.

The case has now been sent on to the provincial court in Alicante.

The local Spanish English language newspaper, the Costa Blanca News, reported: "The judge also ordered that the murdered couple's families be advised of the proceedings and of the opportunity to bring a private prosecution against the two accused, which would operate concurrently with the public trial."

Anthony, 42, who used to live in Heralds Close in Ditton, lived with Linda, 55, in Llangollen, North Wales. They disappeared on the Costa Blanca in September 2002.

Despite press appeals and a visit to Spain by members of the couple's families, they were found in the cellar of a house near Benidorm in March 2003.

A post-mortem found Mrs O'Malley had been beaten before she died.

Police believed the couple may have been tricked by an advert offering a villa for sale.

Large amounts of cash were withdrawn from their account and police said they were held for up to 15 days before they died.