News

Police Scotland’s investigation of historical and unresolved murders, their response to allegations of child abuse, and their policing of serious and organised crime groups are among topics HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) has selected for review in its three-year inspection

A four-year-old boy called police and demanded they arrest his mother after she allegedly stole his ice cream. Police showed up to the family's home in Wisconsin after the boy called 911 and said: "My mommy is being bad... Come and get my mommy."

The body responsible for advising judges on criminal sentences in England and Wales has pushed back against the justice secretary’s call to scrap new guidance on sentencing offenders from minority groups. The Sentencing Council said that ministers from both major parties or their representativ

Police acted unlawfully in arresting a trainee Baptist minister who shouted “Who elected him?” at a proclamation of the accession of King Charles III. Symon Hill, 47, has received £2,500 in compensation from Thames Valley police over the incident in September 2022. 

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry into the death of 36-year-old Michael McDonald. Mr McDonald died on 5 July 2022 at HMP Shotts. The Crown Office is obliged to investigate deaths in custody. A preliminary hearing will be held on 7 Apri

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested on foot of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant issued over alleged crimes against humanity during his "war on drugs". Mr Duterte, who served as president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested by Philippine police yesterday, though it

Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM) has announced a string of promotions. The firm has announced the promotion of three new partners and two new senior legal directors. In its commercial property team, Sarajane Drake has been promoted to partner. Aged 33, she becomes WJM’s youngest

Raeburn, Christie, Clark & Wallace has announced that Heather Stephen will become managing partner from 1 April. She will take over from Callum McDonald, who is stepping back from partnership to become the firm’s first chief operating officer. Ms Stephen said: “It is an honour to tak

The success of Harper Macleod's apprenticeship programme was highlighted as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week (3 to 7 March), an annual campaign by Skills Development Scotland celebrating the value of work-based learning in helping individuals and businesses grow. 

Gillespie Macandrew has appointed real estate legal expert Heather Pearson to its partnership. Ms Pearson joins the firm from Addleshaw Goddard and brings almost 30 years’ experience advising in the real estate sector in Scotland. She is a specialist in both residential and commercial property

In The Inns of Court & Selden Society Annual Legal History Lecture 2024, former president of the Supreme Court Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury considers how Lord Mansfield’s jurisprudence was influenced by his politically dangerous family background, his deep learning and wide-ranging interes

The Criminal Justice Committee has backed the general principles of the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill at stage one. The committee gives support to the introduction of a review process into deaths related to abusive behaviour within relationship

The Lord President, Lord Pentland, has appointed Lady Drummond as the new chair of the Judicial Institute. Lady Drummond, who has been vice-chair since 2023, succeeds Lord Beckett, who stood down following his appointment as lord justice clerk.

A software developer who set up his employer's computer systems to fail in the event of being fired is facing up to 10 years in prison after his plan came to fruition. Texas man David Lu, 55, began to sabotage his employer's systems after being effectively demoted in 2018, according to the US Depart

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a discretionary fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Alexander Gray. Mr Gray, aged 73, was killed by his son Christopher Gray on 23 February 2021 in the flat they shared in Falkirk.