Four more football fans have appeared in the dock, charged with offences committed during a heated Elgin v Inverness Caley Thistle clash – bringing the total number to eight.
Connor McLeod, Dean McCall and Liam McKidd, all of Elgin, and Struan Balfour, of Inverness, appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday.
The quartet all maintained their innocence to accusations of behaviour likely to incite disorder, which are alleged to have happened inside the Borough Briggs ground on January 21.
McLeod, 19, and McKidd, 20, face separate charges of climbing segregation fences and violently shaking them, while shouting and gesturing aggressively towards Caley Thistle fans.
McCall, 19, is accused of seizing a police radio inside the stadium from Sergeant Scott Gove.
Balfour, 23, allegedly tried to break through a line of police officers while gesticulating in an abusive manner and challenging other people to a fight.
Yesterday, McKidd’s defence solicitor Robert Cruickshank explained he was eager to examine still images of the incident, which was also covered by CCTV.
A further hearing about the four men’s cases has been scheduled for July 14 – a trial is due to take place on July 24.
Their appearance in the dock follows the appearance of four others earlier this month in connection with an alleged underpass fight near Elgin’s bus station shortly after the final whistle.
Police were concerned about the potential for trouble at the derby match and issued warnings to fans ahead of the Scottish Cup fixture, which was attended by 3,600 people, to behave themselves on the day of the derby.