Woman admits to murder of young mother

A WOMAN has admitted murdering a young mother in a knife attack, while a second woman who faced the same charge has walked free from court.

Nattalie Muir, 21, of Bathgate, West Lothian, who had a two-year-old daughter, was found injured in Brucefield Drive, Whitburn, West Lothian, in the early hours of 11 December last year, and died later in hospital.

Yesterday, Emma Merrilees, 20, of Edinburgh, pled guilty to murdering her, while acting with others, by punching her on the head, seizing hold of her hair and striking her on the body with a knife.

The Crown accepted a not guilty plea by Samantha Stewart, 21, of Breich, West Lothian, and she was released from the dock at the High Court in Edinburgh.

George Stewart, 34, of West Calder, West Lothian, and a 15-year-old boy, of Whitburn, who cannot be named for legal reasons, remain accused of murder. The case against them was continued, and sentence on Merrilees was deferred.