A man who was charged with murdering his mother has been ordered to stand trial in the High Court in Edinburgh.

39-year-old James Dunleavy appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier charged with the murder of 66-year-old Phyllis Dunleavy from Dublin.

James Dunleavy made no plea or declaration to the charge when he appeared in court.

Scottish police officers arrested Mr. Dunleavy following the discovery of his mother's remains in a shallow grave on Corstorphine Hill in Edinburgh on June 6th last.

Her body was found in a shallow grave in June

Mr. Dunleavy has been remanded in custody to appear again in court within 110 days.

Scottish police had launched an international appeal to identify her. They released a visual reconstruction of her face after carrying out a CT scan of her skull. They published details of her dental work in dentist trade magazines.

The investigation team received more than 30 calls from members of the public as far afield as Israel after releasing the reconstruction image.