A company boss and his shipping firm have denied manslaughter charges over the death of a student at Shoreham harbour.

James Martell and Euromin Ltd were accused of unlawfully killing student Simon Jones, 24, who died in a ship's hold on April 24 1998.

At the Old Bailey in London, Martell, of Aldingbourne Drive, Crocker Hill, Chichester, denied a single charge of manslaughter.

Dutch-owned Euromin Ltd, of Battersea, London, denied one charge of manslaughter and six of failing to comply with its statutory duty under the Health and Safety regulations.

These charges, which were denied by a barrister on behalf of the company, were:

That the company failed to ensure all its employees' health and safety and welfare at work
That it failed to ensure that persons not in its employment were not exposed to risk
That it failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk to its employees
That it failed to make a suitable assessment of risk to non-employees
That it failed to ensure Mr Jones was provided with instructions regarding risk
That it failed to cover its employees with adequate health and safety training.

Mr Jones' parents, who live in Banbury, Oxfordshire, were not in court to see the company deny the charges.

The trial is due to start on November 5 and is expected to last three or four weeks. Martell was bailed until that date.