The Cooper twins murder trial looks unlikely to go ahead as planned in the New Year ? and could start as late as next November, a court heard yesterday.

Chief Justice Richard Ground is due to decide tomorrow whether the intended trial date of January 4 will have to be scrapped.

One of the defence teams pleaded for extra time at a hearing yesterday, as it emerged that legal aid payment problems could push the start date of the high-profile double murder trial back to November, 2006.

Kenneth Jermaine Burgess, 33, and Dennis Alma Robinson, 34, both deny killing 22-year-olds Jahmal and Jahmil Cooper on March 13.

Defence lawyer Charles Richardson, for Robinson, said ongoing problems over confirmation of legal aid payments had left his team struggling to meet the January 4 trial date deadline.

The court heard that forensic experts lined up by the defence would not start preparing for the trial until their fees were confirmed. Mr. Richardson said their responses would not be available until at least the end of next month, making the defence case incomplete if it started in a fortnight.

At an earlier hearing, he said more time was needed because prosecutors had not given enough time for the defence to view all the DNA evidence.

However Dierctor of Public Prosecutions director, Vinette Graham Allen, yesterday said the defence teams had received enough time to prepare their cases. Evidence was disclosed to them as quickly as possible given Bermuda's reliance on other countries to carry out forensic analysis.

Both defendants are due to be represented by top barristers from the UK, with Courtney Griffith QC lined up for Burgess and John Perry QC for Robinson.

And the court heard that both the leading lawyers were due to fly into Bermuda on New Year's Day ahead of the high-profile trial, although the dates on those plane tickets may now have to be changed.

Michael Smith, for Burgess, told the Supreme Court his team was ready for the January 4 start date.

But after hearing that Mr. Griffith's work schedule was full until November, 2006, Mr. Justice Ground adjourned the case until Thursday afternoon.

He said he wanted written confirmation of Mr. Perry's workload and asked for attempts to be made to find a date earlier than next November, if the January 4 date ? which was fixed on August 1 ? did have to be scrapped.

Burgess, of Cottage Hill Road, Hamilton, and Robinson, of Palm Valley, Southampton, were both remain in custody.

The pair had initially been charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to do grievous bodily harm. But those charges were dropped after Police recovered the brothers' decaying bodies from a Hamilton Parish cliff on April 14.

The twins went missing in March, triggering a major Police hunt which lasted several weeks.