The mother of nine-year-old Minnie Merriman, who was allegedly murdered by her father, broke down in tears as she joined a farewell procession for her daughter in Arbroath, Angus. Laurie Merriman was seen sobbing and holding a bunny toy bearing Minnie's name as she pressed her head against the van carrying her daughter's body, before it began the journey home to Wakefield, Yorkshire, three weeks after the girl's death.

Minnie was found injured just after midnight on 3 August at the Elliot industrial estate in Arbroath, where her family had been camping, and later died in hospital. Her father, 35-year-old Christopher Rice, has been charged with her murder and remanded in custody after appearing at Forfar Sheriff Court. A crowd of mourners, bikers and a piper accompanied the seafront send-off, where flowers were laid alongside tributes left by local residents. Separately, NHS Tayside said it was investigating claims that staff had accessed Minnie's medical records without clinical need or permission.