Trial starts today for pair accused of Angus murder

Man and woman deny gruesome killing

The trial of a man and woman accused of one of the most gruesome killings in recent Angus history is due to get under way at the High Court in Glasgow.

A jury will be selected today to consider evidence in the case of Steven Jackson and Michelle Higgins, who are accused of murdering Montrose mum Kimberley MacKenzie last October, before allegedly hiding parts of her dismembered corpse in bins across the town.

The pair deny the charges in connection with the killing, which sparked a major police search for the remains of the 37-year-old mum-of-three.

Jackson, 40, and Higgins, 28, are accused of striking Miss MacKenzie with a hammer, machete and knife before dismembering her at a flat on Market Street, close to Montrose High Street.

The indictment they face alleges she was cut up using a saw, knives and a screwdriver or similar instrument before parts of the body were wrapped in bin liners and bags and dumped at a number of addresses locally.

It is further alleged that Miss MacKenzie’s head and other body parts were put inside a rucksack and case and concealed in a shower cubicle on William Phillips Drive.

Prosecutors will claim that the accused attempted to avoid detection by cleaning walls and floors in the flat and pouring caustic soda and bleach into a bath.

Clothes, footwear and a bloodstained rug are also said to have been disposed of as part of the bid to evade detection.

Jackson, of Market Street, has also been charged with supplying heroin and having a machete in Blairgowrie last November. Higgins, of Lower Craigo Street, is accused of having a knife on Montrose High Street on October 27.

Human remains discovered in Montrose on November 4 were subsequently identified as those of Miss MacKenzie, who had been missing since October 26.

An area around the junction of Market Street and John Street remained cordoned off for a number of days as part of the police operation, and Jackson and Higgins were arrested following activity at several locations in the Angus town, including the local authority recycling centre.

The case called at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday for preliminary matters to be dealt with and is scheduled to proceed after a jury has been selected today.

Jackson is represented by Donald Findlay QC and Higgins by Mark Stewart QC. The trial is expected to last for several weeks.

Police officers during the investigation into the killing of Montrose mum-of-three Kimberley MacKenzie last October.

A forensics officer gathering evidence during the investigation into the death of Kimberley MacKenzie.