TWO suspects are to stand trial charged with the murder of a man in an alleged Irvine street attack.
Simon Roberts, 37, and Sean McKie, 36, are accused of fatally assaulting Malcolm McCandlish last September 24.
The incident is said to have occurred on the town's High Street.
Prosecutors claim Mr McCandlish was punched, grabbed by the body and repeatedly headbutted.
It is also said that the 43-year-old was pulled to the ground and kicked on the head as he lay there.
The murder charge states Mr McCandlish was left so badly hurt that he passed away at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on October 14, 2024.
Roberts and McKie are separately accused of assaulting another man to his injury and permanent disfigurement on the same date and place as the alleged killing.
The pair are further said to have been threatening and abusive as well as having made offensive remarks elsewhere in Irvine.
McKie alone is also charged with assaulting two women and repeatedly hitting a dog with a guitar.
The case called for a hearing today (Monday, April 28) at the High Court in Glasgow where defence lawyers pleaded not guilty on the duo's behalf.
Lord Clark set a trial and it is scheduled to begin in late March 2026.
It was reported after his passing that a crowdfunder was set up by his father, Malcolm senior, to help pay for Mr McCandlish's funeral costs.
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