SEVEN people have appeared in court accused of fraud in a complex case that has rocked Bishop's Hull-based St Margaret's Hospice.

Only two of the defendants entered pleas to the charges at Taunton Crown Court before Judge David Ticehurst this afternoon (Friday).

Andrew Howard, 50, of Monmouth Close, Chard, pleaded not guilty to a count of making articles for use in fraud between December 31, 2010, and August 5, 2015.

He is alleged to have made invoices for works at the hospice which had not been carried out knowing that they were designed for use in the course of or in connection with fraud.

Kenneth Stevens, 49, of High Street, Keinton Mandeville, denied a similar charge.

Former St Margaret's chief executive Jon Andrewes, 65, of Flood Street, Stoke St Gabriel; Caroline Longstreet, 61, of Tolland, near Lydeard St Lawrence; Paul Raymond, 60, of Irwell Green, Taunton; and Alistair Gibson, 66, of Stanton Drew, Bristol, were not asked to enter a plea.

They are charged with conspiracy to make fraudulent representations, namely that they conspired together to submit inflated estimate costs and false invoices to Hospice UK.

The other defendant who failed to plead was Robert Bardle, 68, of Haybridge Farm, Wells, who is accused of making articles for use in fraud, namely invoices for work not carried out.

Most of the accused used to work for St Margaret's, although it is believed some of them were contractors.

The five only spoke to give their names, date of birth and nationality.

Howard and Stevens gave the same details as well as pleading not guilty.

The judge ordered the five who did not plead to appear at Bristol Crown Court to answer the charges on January 14 next year.

Earlier the court heard that the prosecution has drawn up a 2,500-page document outlining its case against the seven defendants, who all appeared in the dock together represented by different barristers.

Any trial would be likely to start in around a year's time.