A woman accused of murder tried to leave an Angus town as police were searching the area, a trial has heard.

Mother-of three Kimberly MacKenzie, 37, was allegedly killed and dismembered in Montrose in October last year.

Steven Jackson, 40, and Michelle Higgins, 29, deny murdering Ms MacKenzie at an address in Market Street on October 27, dismembering her and disposing of body parts in bins in the town.

At the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday, a witness said Higgins wanted to travel to Aberdeen.

Witness Paul Wilson, 36, from Montrose, told the trial that on November 5, 2015, the day the police were searching bins in the town, Higgins appeared to want to get a bus or a train to Aberdeen.

He said she was standing at a bus stop with David Melville and added: "I heard her say to David they needed to catch a bus or a train to Aberdeen."

In earlier evidence, the court heard Ms MacKenzie had sex with her best friend's teenage son the night before she died, a court has heard.

The jury was told Penelope Verrall, the mother of the teenager, was "very, very angry" at Ms MacKenzie and wanted "retribution."

Her son Danny Verrall, 20, told prosecutor Ashley Edwards QC that on Monday, October 25, Ms MacKenzie, his brother Ryan and friend Le Davidson met at his mother's house then they went on to his place for the night.

At the time Mr Verrall was 19. He was asked by Ms Edwards: "Did Kimberley MacKenzie spend the night and did you have sex?" He replied: "Yes."

The court was told that on the morning of October 27, 2015, Mr Verrall returned to his mother's house where his brother and Mr Davidson revealed he and Ms MacKenzie had slept together.

Ms Edwards asked: "How did your mother react?" He said: "She was very, very angry."

Mr Verrall told the court that later that day when Ms MacKenzie called at the house she was refused entry.

He said he went after Ms MacKenzie and said to her: "Don't worry about it, she'll come round in time."

Mr Verall said she responded: "She's my best mate and I'm sorry about what I did."

Defence QC for Jackson, Donald Findlay, asked Mr Verrall: "Did you know Kimberley MacKenzie was 37 at the time?"

He replied: "I didn't know that. I though she was 40."

Mr Findlay then said: "When your mother discovered her best friend had sex with her son she was very, very angry with her."

Mr Verrall replied: "Yes, until she found out Kimberley had died and she kind of blamed herself for it."

The QC said to the witness: "She felt she had been betrayed and let down."

He replied: "Yes."

Jackson and Higgins deny murdering 37-year-old Ms MacKenzie by repeatedly striking her on the head, neck and body with a hammer or similar instrument on Market Street, Montrose, on October 27, last year.

They are also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by dismembering Kimberley's body using a saw, knives and a screwdriver and wrapping parts of her body in bin liners and bags and hiding them in bins in various locations in Montrose.

Both deny all the charges against them.