A north-east care worker accused of assaulting children while working at a Fraserburgh nursery is to stand trial later this year.
Twenty-one-year-old India Mitchell is claimed to have assaulted one boy at a nursery in the town by using a vacuum cleaner to pull his hair.
In another incident in December last year, Mitchell allegedly seized a toddler by the hair, pulled her backwards and let her crash to the floor.
It also claimed she held a third child by the ankles which caused her to fall to the floor injuring her head and body.
She appeared in person for the first time at Peterhead Sheriff Court yesterday and denied the charges.
Defence agent Andrew Ormiston represented Mitchell at the pre-trial hearing.
He told the court there had been delays in preparing Mitchell’s case for trial because of legal aid issues.
She is expected to stand trial on May 15.
Mr Ormiston said: “It is likely to be resolved before the trial diet.
“Otherwise, we are ready to proceed.”
The Press and Journal revealed the charges against Mitchell, of Wallace Way in Fraserburgh, in February.
The managers of the privately-run nursery she worked in at the time of the alleged incidents have since sent letters to parents assuring them of their children’s safety.
A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said they are in the process of inspecting the nursery and will publish a report “in due course”.