A report published by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has found police enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions to have been “fair and proportionate”. The group, chaired by John Scott QC, published the report ahead of a SPA board meeting which took place on the 25th August 2021. Mr Scott hailed Police [...]

The High Court of Justiciary has refused appeals by three men convicted of abduction and rape. Their cases were referred to the court by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.  Brian Meighan, David Pugh and Kevin Kane all received a custodial disposal of 6 years as a result of their [...]

Elizabeth Denham, the UK information Commissioner, recently discussed poor data protection practices and its impact upon society.  Mobile phones store a significant amount of sensitive and private information. This includes medical information, political beliefs, location, financial situation and ethnic origin. As a result, it is crucial that poor data protection [...]

The Sheriff Appeal Court has determined that the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) is under no obligation to pay statutory interest in circumstances where a legal aid account is overdue.  Ormistons Law Practice Ltd raised an action against SLAB seeking a declarator that it was liable to pay statutory interest [...]

Sean Taggart, a prisoner at HMP Grampian, died on the 10th of March 2018 due to complications arising from the use of drugs and alcohol. A sheriff in Peterhead has determined that his death was not the result of an accident or failure by the prison staff.    The deceased [...]

John Deeney was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for indecently assaulting his foster brother when he was a teenager. On appeal at the High Court of Justiciary Mr Deeney argued that the trial judge had misdirected the jury. The judge informed the jury that they could consider evidence of other [...]

New sentencing guidelines have been approved by the High Court of Justiciary, aimed at increasing public knowledge and understanding of sentencing in Scotland. The guidelines have been developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council and set out an eight-step guide courts should follow when reaching sentencing decisions. This includes some of [...]

A new allegation of malicious prosecution has been made against the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.  The allegation comes from Mark Hirst, who was acquitted in January 2021 of an offence following comments he made in in a vlog upon former First Minister Alex Salmond’s acquittal. The defence submission, [...]

Scotland’s justice secretary, Keith Brown, has said he will “not shrink away” from reforms aimed at increasing the conviction rate in sex cases. Mr Brown, who was appointed as justice secretary in May 2021, made comments following a recent visit to The Meadows centre for sexual assault victims in Larbert. [...]

Those in receipt of fiscal fines who refuse to make payment are not being punished, according to figures from the Scottish Conservatives. The figures show that in 2018/19, 39% of those who refused to pay went unpunished, and this figure rose to 40% in 2019/20. Figures for 2020/21 remain “ongoing” [...]