FOUR MEN have been remanded in custody after being charged with the murder of Gurinderjit Rai in the Meon Valley a year ago.

His body was found in a car parked in Shepherds Farm Lane, Corhampton, on Saturday, July 13, 2019.

The four men had been arrested earlier in the investigation and were re-arrested last Tuesday (July 7).

The next day, Charlie Statham, 30, of Crescent Close, Winchester; Paul White, 26, of Dyson Drive, Winchester; Aston Hannis, 29, of Leah Gardens, Eastleigh; and Corin Barlow, 40, of Lumley Road, Horley, Surrey, were charged with murder.

At a hearing at Winchester Crown Court, Judge Keith Cutler adjourned the case for a pre-trial hearing on Friday, October 9.

A provisional trial date of January 4, 2021, was also set. The trial is expected to last four weeks.

Also re-arrested were a 32-year-old man from Climping, West Sussex, a 32-year-old man from Winchester, and a 42-year-old man from Owslebury. They were released from custody but remain under investigation.

In total, 17 people were arrested during the course of the year-long investigation.

Gurinderjit Rai, aged 41 from Eastleigh – also known as ‘G’ and described as a “devoted and loving” father of two – died as a result of shotgun wounds.

Soon after his body was found in a lay-by almost opposite the entrance to Corhampton Golf Club, police said they believed the shooting was a “targeted incident,” and launched a murder investigation.

A post-mortem investigation later confirmed he died from shotgun wounds.

Corhampton Golf Club, between the villages of Droxford and Bishop’s Waltham, overlooks the Meon Valley, and is the home club of Scott Gregory, now a professional golfer who was the first Hampshire player to win the 2016 Amateur Championship.