A man is to stand trial accused of sexually assaulting and murdering his teenage sister by strangling her.
Prosecutors allege that Connor Gibson assaulted Amber Gibson, 16, removed her clothing and repeatedly inflicted blunt force trauma to her head and body at Cadzow Glen in Hamilton on November 26, 2021.
They allege that he compressed her neck with his hands and strangled her with intent to rape her.
Gibson, also known as Connor Niven, is also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of the bloodstained T-shirt and shorts he wore to commit the alleged crime, and phoning the children’s unit where his sister lived to pretend he thought she was alive.
He faces a further charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice by claiming that he had argued with his sister on the evening of November 26 and had then gone to someone else’s home.
The 20-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges against him during a virtual court hearing on Tuesday.
Amber was reported missing on the evening of Friday November 26 last year.
Her body was discovered in Cadzow Glen park in the South Lanarkshire town at about 10.10am on Sunday November 28.
Another man Stephen Corrigan, 44, faces separate charges of breach of the peace and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Prosecutors allege that having found Amber Gibson’s body on an occasion between November 26 and 28 last year, he touched her buttocks, breasts and other areas, concealed her body and committed a breach of the peace.
He is also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by concealing the teenager’s body under bushes and branches to delay or prevent the discovery of her body and conceal, alter or destroy evidence that he had touched her body and clothing.
Corrigan’s defence agent Solicitor Advocate Rhonda Anderson said he pleads not guilty to both charges and entered a special defence of alibi on his behalf.
Advocate Depute Richard Goddard KC asked for a trial date to be set.
He said: “The Crown is ready to have a trial fixed. The length of trial is estimated to be 10 days.”
Lady Stacey fixed the trial date for July 3 at the High Court in Glasgow.
