THE pair who deny abducting and murdering Inverkip woman Margaret Fleming will go on trial in April.

Margaret was reported missing in October 2016 but prosecutors claim she has not been seen since December 1999.

They say that she was killed by her carers Edward Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 58.

Yesterday, at the High Court in Glasgow, Jones was in court to enter a not guilty plea through her defence QC Ian Duguid.

Cairney, who is represented by QC Thomas Ross was not in court having been excused attendance.

Mr Ross said: “He has mobility problems.”

Judge Lord Matthews set the trial for April 23 at the High Court in Glasgow.

Prosecutors allege that the pair assaulted Margaret between December 18 in 1999 and January 5 in 2000, when she was aged 19, by means unknown and murdered her.

The pair are also charged with claiming £182,000 in benefits by fraud by pretending Margaret was alive.

It is alleged that Cairney and Jones abducted her at her home at Seacroft, Inverkip, locked her in a room, assaulted her, cut her hair and bound her arms and wrists with tape on various occasions between November 1 ,1997 and January 5, 2000.

The pair also face two charges of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by boarding a train to London on October 25 in 2017 with £3,500 in cash and keys to a safe deposit box which contained £27,000 and pretending to social workers, police, and benefits officials between December 18, 1999 and October 26, 2017, that Margaret was alive.

Jones and Cairney - who is also accused of assaulting Margaret Cruikshanks on November 26 in 1997, at Seacroft by pushing her against furniture, knocking her to the ground, placing his hands round her neck, compressing her throat, threatening her with violence and repeatedly spitting on her face - deny all of the charges against them.