Date set in Templeton murder case

Elizabeth McCabe's body was found in woods near Dundee

A trial date has been set for a man accused of strangling a woman in Dundee more than a quarter of a century ago.

Vincent Simpson, of Camberley, Surrey, faces a charge of murdering Elizabeth McCabe, whose body was found in the city's Templeton Woods in 1980.

The 60-year-old's trial is scheduled to start on 22 October at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Mr Simpson's defence told a brief procedural hearing that he was expected to blame another man for the murder.

Mr Simpson was excused attendance from the court on Monday, when lawyers reported on progress in the case.

Defence QC Mark Stewart said that his client is ready to face the trial, which is expected to last for eight weeks.

The charge alleges that in February 1980 in Union Street, the woods and elsewhere in Dundee, Mr Simpson assaulted Ms McCabe, hit her on the head and compressed her neck, murdering her.

He faces two other charges of breach of the peace, alleging that he approached women in Dundee at about the same time, causing them distress and alarm.