Father denies murdering baby and lodges defence blaming someone else

A father has denied murdering his three-week-old daughter as he lodged a special defence blaming someone else for the crime.

Thomas Haining, 20, is accused of repeatedly inflicting blunt force trauma to Mikayla Haining’s head and body by unknown means, leaving her so severely injured that she died.

He has pleaded not guilty to murdering the baby at her home in Mackay Road, Inverness, in 2017.

It is alleged the offences happened between the day she was born on May 17, 2017 and June 8 that year when she died.

Haining appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday where his lawyer, Shelagh McCall QC, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

She said he lodged a special defence of incrimination blaming a Crown witness, who was not named in court.

Judge Johanna Johnston QC set an evidential hearing for July 8 and 9 to deal with issues regarding admissibility of evidence.

A trial date was set for September 5.