'Pumpkin' father says not guilty

Nai Yin Xue was deported from the US earlier this year

The father of "Pumpkin", a little girl found abandoned in Australia, has pleaded not guilty to killing his wife.

At a hearing in Auckland, New Zealand, 54-year-old Nai Yin Xue denied strangling 27-year-old An An Liu.

The case came to light when the couple's three-year-old daughter was found alone at a Melbourne station.

Police searching for her parents found her mother's body in the family car. Mr Xue flew to the US, but was brought back to New Zealand in March.

Trial set

The martial arts instructor is accused of killing his wife in Auckland in September 2007.

"I am not guilty, I am innocent," Mr Xue said when the charges were read out in court.

Prosecutors say Mr Xue strangled his wife and then flew to Australia with his young daughter, Qian Xun Xue.

The little girl has gone to live with her grandmother in China

He was captured on camera abandoning her at a railway station in Melbourne, before flying to the US.

In February, members of the Chinese community in the city of Atlanta recognised him and turned him in to police.

The story of the abandoned little girl was reported around the world. Australian officials nicknamed her "Pumpkin" after the brand of clothing she was wearing.

She is now living with her grandmother in China.

The court ruled that Mr Xue should stand trial for murder. He is due back in court later this year.