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 [...]

Keith Brown will replace Humza Yousaf as Justice Secretary as part of a cabinet shake-up in the aftermath of the 2021 election. Mr Brown, a veteran MSP who currently serves as deputy leader of the SNP,  takes over from Mr Yousaf at a time of great uncertainty from criminal practitioners [...]

Figures released by the Scottish Government have indicated that convictions for violent crime, such as attempted murder, assault and armed robbery, have increased by over 20% for the year 2019/20. Conviction rates for serious assault and attempted murder are at the highest level in over a decade with just under [...]

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have announced that following restrictions being eased from 17th May, they are aiming to increase the amount of summary trials being heard back to maximum safe capacity for each courtroom.  The SCTS have also announced that Justice of Peace Courts will resume operation from [...]

A boycott of courts by defence lawyers has been launched, lasting all-day on Monday 17th May. This is in response to what many defence solicitors see as unfair treatment by the Scottish Government over legal aid. According to the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association, only £2.3million of the Government’s legal aid [...]