Bruising found on the body of Scottish schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton suggested she was involved in a violent incident close to the time she died, a murder trial heard today.

Bruising found on the body of Scottish schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton suggested she was involved in a violent incident close to the time she died, a murder trial heard today.

Pathologist Anthony Busuttil told the High Court in Dundee that he found three separate areas of bruising on the 15-year-old's hand, chest and back.

This suggested she was involved in some violence or physical force at or around the time of death, he said.

The court also heard that the findings were consistent with the possibility that Vicky was lying on the floor while somebody knelt on her and compressed her neck.

Peter Tobin, 62, denies abducting and murdering Vicky more than 17 years ago.

A second charge, also denied, alleges that he cut the schoolgirl's body in two and buried the remains as part of his efforts to cover up the alleged murder.

Vicky disappeared on February 10 1991, while she was waiting for a bus in Bathgate, West Lothian, to take her home to Redding, near Falkirk, after visiting her sister.

Professor Busuttil told the court of his findings when he carried out a post-mortem examination on Vicky's body in Edinburgh in November last year.

His work followed an earlier post-mortem in England, carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr David Rouse, after her remains were unearthed from a back garden in Margate, Kent, last year.

Prof Busuttil told the court he found a bruise on the schoolgirl's right hand, suggestive of a defensive "blunt force injury".

A further bruise, about the size of an adult hand, was also discovered on her chest, the jury was told.

He told the court that he also found "discoloration probably due to bruising", on Vicky's back. Again, he said this was around the size of a human hand.

Prof Busuttil told the trial the marks suggested a "violent episode very close to the time of death".

Explaining his findings, he said: "These were three separate areas of bruising - the back of the right hand, right lower chest, and a large bruise on the back - that suggests that the person was involved in some violence, in some physical force, at or about the time of death."

Yesterday, Dr Rouse told the court that Vicky may have died as a result of compression to her neck.

Today, Solicitor General Frank Mulholland QC, prosecuting, put a "hypothesis" to Prof Busuttil.

He said: "If Vicky was drugged, given Amitriptyline, and was on the floor or ground, and if someone was putting their knee, their leg, on Vicky, at the same time compressing her neck, and Vicky is trying to prevent this from happening with her right hand, would this hypothesis that I put to you be consistent with the presence of the bruising to the chest, the back, and - if the Home Office pathologist is correct - bruising to the neck?"

Prof Busuttil agreed that his findings would be consistent with that hypothesis.