A four-year-old girl is in hospital after allegedly being violently attacked in her home in the middle of the night. The youngster, who can't be named for legal reasons, was allegedly the victim of an attempted murder in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police were called to her home in Paisley, Renfrewshire, at around 3am, after she was found injured and she was rushed to hospital. Sean Lochrie, 32, was arrested in connection with the alleged attack on the girl and was held in police custody for two nights.
He appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court this afternoon to face a single charge of assault to severe injury, danger of life and attempted murder over the alleged incident. Prosecutors claim he attacked the girl "and did inflict blunt force injuries to her head and body".
The charge states that the "means" by which he attacked her is "unknown" but that the alleged attack was "to the danger of her life" and an "attempt to murder her". Lochrie, of Paisley, made no plea to the single charge against him during the hearing, where he was represented by defence solicitor Bob Mitchell.
Sheriff Eoin McGinty continued the case for prosecutors to investigate further and remanded Lochrie in custody. No future court dates have been set but he is expected to make a second appearance in connection with the case next week.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 3am on Saturday, October 29, 2022, police received a report of a four-year-old child being injured in Paisley. Emergency services attended and the girl was taken to the Royal Hospital for Children, where medical staff describe her condition as stable.
"A 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. He is due to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday, October 31, 2022. A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."
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