A MAN accused of murdering two teenagers in the 1970s will go on trial in October.
Angus Sinclair, 69, denies the rape and murder of 17-year-olds Christine Eadie and Helen Scott in 1977, whose bodies were found in fields in East Lothian.
The two were last seen leaving the World's End bar on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
At a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow, Judge Lord Matthews set the trial for October 6 at the High Court in Livingston, West Lothian. A pre-trial hearing will take place on September 10 at the High Court in Aberdeen.
The dates were set following agreement with Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland, QC, prosecuting, and defence counsel Ian Duguid QC.
Sinclair is accused of acting along with brother-in-law Gordon Hamilton, now dead, when the crimes were allegedly committed on October 15 and 16, 1977.
It is claimed the young women were gagged, tied up, raped and strangled.
Sinclair stood trial in 2007 for the girls' murders and was acquitted of the charges, which he denied. The judge ruled there was no case to answer.
Earlier this year, the Crown was granted authority under new double jeopardy legislation to bring a fresh prosecution.
The Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act, which became law in 2011, allows suspects found not guilty in court to face a new trial. The trial, which will be the first under the new law, is expected to last around four weeks.
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