Pensioner, 68, is to stand trial accused of murdering a mother in a Scottish park more than 30 years ago

Fraser Kilpatrick faces a murder charge plus 15 further counts, including the rape of a woman and a girl. Prosecutors allege he hit Shona Stevens, 31, on the head with a hammer in Bourtreehill Park, Irvine, in November 1994; she died three days later. Donald Findlay KC entered not guilty pleas to all charges at the High Court in Glasgow, and the trial is set for January 2028.

The additional charges include scalding a child with boiling water and holding a flame to three others.

Stevens' daughter Candice was seven years old at the time of her mother's attack.

Kilpatrick was charged in 2025, a year after Crimestoppers offered a £20,000 reward.