A Dundee mother is to stand trial accused of battering her daughter from the day she was born.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, is further alleged to have carried out sex acts on herself while her daughters were in bed with her while “making sexually explicit comments”.
Prosecutors say that from 1988 until 2001 – starting from the date of her first daughter’s birth – the mum repeatedly slapped, punched and kicked her daughter on the head and body and pulled her hair to her injury.
She is also alleged to have attacked her second daughter when she was aged between five and 11 by pulling her hair, pulling her to the floor, repeatedly slapping punching and kicking her to the head and body and pushing her down a set of stairs.
Further allegations state she threw a toy at the girl’s head, induced her to verbally abuse other members of her family by threats of violence, presented a knife at her, threatened to kill her and on one occasion woke her from her sleep and threatened to kill her.
The woman also faces charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards her two daughters.
It is alleged that on various occasions she brought her eldest daughter into her bed and masturbated in her presence and made sexually explicit comments.
She is further accused of doing the same towards her second daughter while lying on the girl’s bed.
The woman faces a further two charges of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards both of the girls in 2016.
It is alleged that she repeatedly sent abusive and obscene electronic communications to both last summer.
The 49-year-old denied a total of six charges on indictment at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Defence solicitor Laura McGillvery said: “Identification of the accused by the complainers can be agreed.
“We are instructing counsel in this case and estimate the trial is likely to last three to four days.”
Fiscal depute Nicola Gillespie added: “This is a sensitive matter with two vulnerable witnesses involved in it.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael set a trial date for May 8.
