The mother of three-year-old Mikaeel Kular has appeared in court accused of murdering her son.

Rosdeep Adekoya, 34, is charged with assaulting Mikaeel at her Edinburgh home in January and hiding his body in woodland in Fife.

It is alleged she attempted to defeat the ends of justice by pretending to police he had gone missing, sparking a major search by the emergency services and members of the public.

Adekoya appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh today, where judge Lord Boyd continued the case until July 25 at the request of prosecutors and her defence counsel Brian McConnachie, who said the case had a "number of complexities".

He said: "It would be of assistance to all parties if the matter was continued at this stage without any plea being tendered."

Adekoya is accused of punching her son and causing his body to hit against a hard object or inflicting blunt injuries on his head and body at their Ferry Gait Crescent flat between January 12 and 15.

She is alleged to have wrapped Mikaeel's body in a duvet cover, put it in a suitcase and driven to Dunvegan Avenue in Fife, where prosecutors say she hid the case under a bush in woods behind a house.

She is alleged to have reported her son missing to police, telling officers he got out of bed and climbed on a stool to unlock the front door of his home.

The charge sheet states Adekoya caused a major search for her son, involving police, the fire service, coastguard, mountain rescue crews and members of the public.