Man pleads not guilty to raping woman in Shetland

Lasse Larsen, from Denmark, denies pressing a woman against a wall and carrying out a sex attack.

A man has denied raping a woman in Shetland.

Lasse Larsen, from Denmark, is accused of attacking her at a house in Lerwick on July 27, 2019.

The accusation includes claims the 30-year-old pressed the woman against a wall and put his hand over her mouth.

Larsen’s lawyer John Keenan pleaded not guilty on his client’s behalf during a short hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.

Larsen was not present for the case.

Mr Keenan said: “He is resident in Denmark and clearly travel arrangements would have been difficult at this time.”

Both he and prosecutor Greg Farrell told the court they were ready for a trial to be set.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was not possible to fix a date.

Lady Stacey instead adjourned the case until a further hearing in September.

The judge said: “Hopefully at that date a trial can be fixed.”