Hamilton murder suspect misses court

LONDON - A man charged with the murder of a 15-year-old girl whose remains were found in a house in Kent missed a court appearance after he was assaulted in prison, officials said Friday.

Handyman Peter Tobin, 61, remained in an Edinburgh hospital Friday after suffering cuts and bruises in the attack.

He was set upon by fellow prisoners on Wednesday in the city's Saughton jail, where he was being temporarily held before his court hearing.

He had been due to appear in court for a second time on Thursday charged with the murder of schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton, who disappeared in 1991. Police found her remains during searches of a house in Margate earlier this month.

That court appearance at Linlithgow Sheriff Court in West Lothian was delayed for Friday.

But a Scottish Crown Office spokeswoman confirmed that Tobin's injuries were deemed serious enough for him to miss that court appearance. The private hearing would go ahead without him, she said.

"There was a court appearance scheduled for yesterday but it did not go ahead," she said.

"There is no court appearance (for him) today."

She said officials were closely monitoring his condition.

Earlier a Scottish Prison Service spokesman said an inmate was attacked in the jail on Wednesday, but declined to name him or give details of the incident.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said a 21-year-old man had been charged over the incident.

A prison source has confirmed that it was Tobin who was attacked. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Tobin first appeared in court charged with Hamilton's murder last week. He made no plea and was remanded in custody.