Vulnerable individuals who find themselves in front of the Scottish Criminal Justice System may be eligible for support throughout the process.  The special measures available include the presence of a supporter whilst giving evidence, giving evidence via a video link from a room other than the courtroom and giving evidence [...]

Scott Styles recently discussed the reformation of the roles of Lord Advocate and Solicitor General.  The Lord Advocate carries out two roles. The Lord Advocate is head of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and is minister of the Scottish government as its chief legal advisor. This has raised [...]

The High Court of Justiciary has reduced the sentence of a man convicted of the attempted murder of a rival gang member. The case was referred to the court by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.  The appellant, Dillin Armstrong, was given an extended sentence of 13 years, he was [...]

The High Court of Justiciary has refused an appeal against conviction made by a man who was sentenced in 2019 to life imprisonment. Paul Smith was convicted for murdering the partner of his ex-wife's new boyfriend's mother.  It was argued that at trial the judge had failed by removing the [...]

MSPs from the Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for an end to “pointless” drug prosecutions in order to better use Crown Office and Police resources, whilst focusing on a health-based approach to Scotland’s drug crisis. Speaking at a parliamentary debate on Scotland’s drug deaths, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex [...]

A trainee paralegal who embezzled over £200,000 from his employers has been handed down a custodial sentence of sixteen months, following his admission of the crime.  Callum Scott, a trainee paralegal with Aberdein Considine in Aberdeen, admitted the offence earlier this year at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. He spent sums of [...]

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 [...]