A fatal accident inquiry is to be held into the death of serial killer Peter Tobin.

Tobin, 76, was serving a whole-life order for three murders when he died on 8 October 2022.

But the killer has long been suspected by police of murdering several other women as he lived under more than 40 aliases and had over 150 cars in his life.

He had been an inmate at HMP Edinburgh when he was taken to hospital on 9 September 2022 following a fall in his cell the previous night.

Tobin had been receiving palliative care at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as his health worsened and was monitored by officers from security firm GeoAmey at all times up until his death.

His ashes were later scattered at sea.

Tobin was serving life sentences for the murders of Angelika Kluk, 23, Vicky Hamilton, 15, and Dinah McNicol, 18.

Polish student Ms Kluk was raped and murdered, with her body hidden under the floor of a Glasgow church in 2006.

In 2007, an investigation into Tobin led to the discovery of the bodies of Ms Hamilton and Ms McNicol in the garden of his former home in Margate, Kent.

Schoolgirl Ms Hamilton was last seen in February 1991 as she waited for a bus home to Redding, near Falkirk.

Essex teen Ms McNicol disappeared in August of the same year after accepting a ride while hitchhiking home from a music festival in Hampshire. Her friend was dropped off by the man, but she was never seen again.

Although Tobin was suspected to have been responsible for other killings, he died without admitting to any other crimes.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has now lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into his death.

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The FAI, which is mandatory by law, will look into the cause of death, the circumstances in which it occurred, and will establish whether any reasonable precautions could have been taken to prevent the death.

It aims to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.

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A preliminary inquiry hearing will take place on 27 May at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

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