A man accused of murdering a woman more than 30 years ago is to go on trial in January 2028.
It is alleged that Fraser Kilpatrick assaulted Shona Stevens, 31, in Bourtreehill Park, Irvine, on November 10 1994.
Prosecutors allege that he repeatedly struck her on the head with a hammer or similar instrument, causing her to fall to the ground, and then seized and dragged her, leaving her so severely injured that she died on November 13 at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
Kilpatrick, 68, also faces 15 other charges including rape and assault involving a number of different adults and children.
A virtual hearing took place from the High Court in Glasgow (John Linton/PA)
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Donald Findlay KC entered a plea of not guilty to all charges on behalf of Kilpatrick at a virtual hearing from the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday.
The charges include an allegation that Kilpatrick raped a woman in North Ayrshire between the mid 80s and the mid 1990s, and that he raped a female child between the late 80s and mid 90s.
It is also alleged that he attempted to rape another female girl in the area in the 90s, and used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards her.
Kilpatrick also faces several charges of assault including that he allegedly poured boiling water on a child in the 1990s and that he placed a lit flame against the body of three other children on separate occasions.
All the offences are alleged to have happened in North Ayrshire and elsewhere in Scotland.
Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC said it is estimated that the trial will last 17 days.
He told the court: “It is a case of some age. The investigation was wide in scope and there is a lot of material.”
Lord Arthurson fixed the trial date for January 31 2028 at the High Court in Glasgow and set a further preliminary hearing for December 21 this year at the same court.