A mother has told a court that she saw her son "fly at" a woman he is accused of trying to murder.

James Paterson, 23, is on trial accused of trying to murder three women while they were pregnant.

He is further claimed to have raped two of the women and attacked two newborn babies at addresses in Fife and Edinburgh.

On Tuesday, the High Court in Aberdeen heard from his mother, Maxine, 45, who said she saw her son "fly at" one of the alleged victims and pull the hair of another and drag her to a car during a day at the park after the woman spat at him.

She also said Paterson's third alleged victim had confided in her of serious assaults at the hands of her son, claiming he kicked and "strangled her".

The trial also heard from a doctor who was asked to investigate after a pregnant woman was admitted to hospital with possible boot marks on her stomach.

Dr Kranti Hiremath told how medical documents noted the patient had claimed a man "jumped" on her abdomen while she was lying in bed.

She said she was asked to investigate the medical history of three women after "possible boot marks" were found by doctors on the mother-to-be's stomach.

She said: "They are showing just under the rib cage on the front and left side."

Dr Hiremath said during her investigation she found another woman had complained of being in pain after she was hit in the stomach with a baseball bat two weeks after giving birth. She said the notes revealed the woman was in "obvious pain" eight months after the alleged attack.

Paterson, from Cardenden, Fife, denies trying to murder three women, who were all pregnant at various times, endangering their lives and leaving them severely injured and permanently disfigured.

He is alleged to have attacked and twice raped a second woman.

Paterson is alleged to have attacked a third woman, again causing her to lose consciousness by squeezing her neck. He is further accused of attacking two babies, sending threatening text messages to his third alleged victim and failing to appear in court.

Paterson faces 11 charges which date from between January 2006 and July last year. The trial, before Lord Matthews, continues.