A defective suspension system is unlikely to have caused a road crash which claimed the lives of three people, a collision expert has told a court.

Mark Littler told Inverness Sheriff Court it was more likely the collision had been responsible for a displaced coil spring found after the crash near near Newtonmore in July 2013.

He said it was an "implausible explanation" for the Audi crossing into the opposite lane on the A9 and colliding head-on with a Jeep Cherokee

Andrew Houston denies causing the deaths of his wife, Abigail, 42, daughter Mia, seven, and 62-year-old physician Mohammad Hayajneh by careless driving on the A9.

His Audi A4 collided head-on with the silver Jeep Cherokee being driven by Dr Hayajneh’s wife, 59-year-old Ursula Hayajneh from Duisburg in Germany.

A Peugeot 206 carrying four Polish tourists managed to avoid the collision by swerving off the road and crashing into a road sign.

Houston, whose ten-year-old daughter Lily was badly injured but survived, is a senior partner with McSporrans solicitors in Edinburgh.

The jury will retire to consider their verdict on Thursday.