A warrant has been granted for a man accused of causing the death of five people, including his own son, in a north-east road crash.
Alfredo Ciociola, 49, is accused of causing the crash on the A96 near Keith on July 26 2018.
He is alleged to have crashed a Fiat minibus into a 4×4 after falling asleep at the wheel.
A not guilty plea to causing the five deaths and serious injury by dangerous driving was entered at a previous hearing.
Warrant granted after failure to appear
Ciociola, from Sicily, was due to appear at the High Court in Aberdeen for trial today, however a warrant was granted after he failed to appear.
The youngest of the casualties was four-year-old Lorenzo Ciociola.
He was a passenger in the Fiat minibus along with 63-year-old Malta-born Frances Saliba Patane, from Sicily, who also died as a result of the crash.
The others were Edward (Ted) Reid, 63, from Macduff, who was travelling in the Nissan X-Trail along with Evalyn Collie, 69, and Audrey Appleby, 70, both from Aberchirder.
Four others were also hurt in the crash.
Tributes paid to those who died
After the crash tributes were paid to those who died.
Ms Collie, from Aberchirder, was described by her family as a “beautiful lady”.
Audrey Appleby was known for rescuing animals in the same village.
Frances Saliba Patane died on her 63rd birthday, which she had been in Scotland to celebrate.
Her family described her as a “loving wife, and a caring mother and grandmother”.
And four-year-old Lorenzo Ciociola had been described as a “little angel in heaven”.
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