Lee Costello has denied three charges at Preston Crown Court, and the case is now set to move on to a three-day trial beginning on January 6 next year. For now, the most important detail is not the allegation list alone, but the fact that the dispute will be tested in court rather than left hanging after the first hearing.
What happens next
The case involves allegations of sexual assault, threatening a person with an offensive weapon in public, and intentional strangulation. Costello has been remanded in custody pending the next court dates, with a pre-trial review due on November 11. The alleged incident is said to have happened at Costello's property on July 17.
That timeline matters because it gives the case a clear path forward. A pre-trial review in November should help narrow the issues before the January 6 start date, and the scheduled three-day hearing suggests the court expects the matter to be dealt with in a concentrated trial window.
For readers following the case, the key development is simple: Costello has entered not guilty pleas, and the allegations will now be examined in full. As with other high-profile court matters reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, the next dates will determine how much of the story is about procedure and how much is about proof.
In practical terms, this is no longer just an accusation at the charging stage. It is a case headed for trial, with November 11 and January 6 now the dates that will shape what comes next.
