Barclay brothers may be witnesses in trial

Two members of the billionaire Barclay family have been named as intended witnesses in the trial of three men accused of trying to sell the Ritz Hotel for £250m.

Sir Frederick Barclay, who owns the landmark building along with his brother Sir David, and Sir David's son Howard were on a list of 18 intended witnesses read out to potential jurors at the start of the four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. Solicitor Conn Farrell, 57, retired construction company contracts manager Patrick Dolan, 68, and lorry driver Anthony Lee, 49, all deny conspiracy to defraud.

The three are accused of defrauding Terence Collins and Marcel Boerkhoorn by falsely representing that Mr Dolan and Mr Lee were in a position to procure the sale of The Ritz in Piccadilly for £250m between 1 January 2006 and 30 March 2007.

Mr Dolan, of Tottenham, north London, Mr Farrell, of Aldershot, and Mr Lee, of Beal, Goole, East Yorkshire, are all on bail. The case is due to begin today.

Sir Frederick and Sir David also own The Daily Telegraph.