The First Minister has appointed Dorothy Bain QC to be the new Lord Advocate, succeeding James Wolffe QC. The appointment, which is subject to approval by the Scottish Parliament, comes after a year of intense scrutiny of the role, following the Alex Salmond prosecution affair and subsequent Holyrood inquiry – [...]

Figures released by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have shown a slight increase in the number of people being charged with hate crimes, compared to 2019-20.  According to the figures, there were 5,525 instances of a person being charged with a hate crime in 2020-21. The majority of [...]

Louise Sutherland, a former solicitor employed by Graeme Murray & Co Solicitors in Aberdeen, has pled guilty to a charge of embezzlement before Aberdeen Sheriff Court.  The offence dates back to 2013, where it was discovered by the firm’s accountants that Ms Sutherland had prepared dozens of fake invoices for [...]

Concerns have been voiced by a prominent government watchdog over Police Scotland’s understanding of both the “nature and scale” of hate crime. A report released by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) illustrated a worrying combination of poor training, outdated IT systems and inefficient data collection. This has lead [...]

The High Court in Glasgow has heard evidence from an expert witness who appeared virtually for the first time, in a move that has divided opinion in the legal community.  The evidence was led by the defence in a trial involving multiple charges of rape and assault to danger of [...]

Justice of the Peace courts are to reopen across the country on Monday, in the latest loosening of coronavirus restrictions in Scotland.  The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that all JP court business will resume from Monday 7th June, following a review that was launched after the Scottish [...]

The Crown Office has been forced to defend itself once again from allegations that It carried out a malicious prosecution against the head of a cheque cashing business in 2019. Eddie Ramsay, 73, claims that the case against him, which involved police raiding his home and holding him in custody, [...]

The Scottish Government has announced it is to dedicate half-a-million pounds to fight the rise in hate crimes directed towards places of worship.  The Hate Crime Security Fund, developed by the Government and Police Scotland, is now open for applications from faith groups. Shona Robison, the Social Justice Secretary and [...]

The Scottish Law Commission have announced plans to launch a review into the common law crimes of murder and attempted murder and the mental element of each.  The SLC is seeking the views of anyone with an interest in criminal law and justice to contribute to a discussion paper that [...]

Figures released by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have shown that almost 500 solemn Sheriff cases were concluded in April 2021 alone, marking an 8% increase from the pre-Covid average. Positive signs that the court system is gradually beginning to recover could also be seen by the fact new [...]