News

Domestic abuse offenders could be given mandatory lie-detector tests upon release from prison under new proposals. The polygraph tests are among the measures included in the Domestic Abuse Bill, which would also introduce a ban on cross-examination of victims by their alleged abusers in family court

Pet dogs have been banned from public spaces in Tehran. Walking dogs in "public spaces, such as parks", and even driving them around in cars, will make pet owners liable for prosecution.

A woman who was assaulted by her mother when she was a baby has won a long-running legal battle for criminal injuries compensation after taking her appeal to the UK Supreme Court. The Inner House of the Court of Session had ruled that it was within the UK Government’s discr

Families are currently waiting up to eight years for fatal accident inquiries (FAI) to be conducted into the death of a loved one, figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats have revealed. A freedom of information request submitted by the party to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Servi

Professor Sir David Edward, the former European Court of Justice judge, said Brexit has left him receptive to Scottish independence. Sir David set out his views as a new pro-independence research group, Progress Scotland, launched.

The effects of a change in the law on workplace regulations introduced some five years ago are still to fully reveal themselves in Scotland, writes Lorna Ferguson. The Brexit story so far has involved fresh consideration of several long-standing legal, social and economic issues; an important one be

People serving community payback orders (CPO) since their introduction in 2011 have generated around seven million hours of unpaid work, according to new figures. The Criminal Justice Social Work 2017-18 statistics show 17,800 CPOs were commenced in 2017-18 and 75 per cent had an unpaid work or

Child migrants sent away by the UK government are to be each given £20,000 in compensation by the state. Between the 1920s and the 1970s, 130,000 children were sent to former British colonies, mainly Canada and Australia.

A lawyer has cast doubt on the effectiveness of new powers to be given to victims of serious crimes to challenge Parole Board decisions on the release of prisoners. The reforms have been introduced following the case of John Worboys, the black-cab rapist.

A police chief has been cleared over claims of improper use of the force's firing range, The Herald reports. The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has rejected claims against assistant chief constable Bernie Higgins 14 months after was temporarily suspended.

New rules to reduce deaths in household fires have been announced, with improved standards introduced for fire and smoke alarms in Scottish homes. The improved standards will mean every home in the country must have a smoke alarm fitted in the living room or lounge, and in circulation spaces such as

A woman who mutilated her three-year-old child has become the first person in the UK to be convicted of female genital mutilation (FGM). The Ugandan woman, 37, from east London wept at her trial in the Old Bailey. Her 43-year-old partner was acquitted.

A study into Scotland’s most and least affordable cities has found that Aberdeen has seen the biggest boost in home affordability over the last five years. The latest Bank of Scotland research found that average house prices in the city have risen by only two per cent to £203,944 in the

A Texas lawyer is suing Apple after its FaceTime bug allegedly allowed someone to overhear his confidential meeting with a client. Larry Williams II filed a suit in Harris County, Houston after it was revealed that the bug allowed eavesdroppers to listen in on a call on a phone or Mac before the use

A sheriff has banned a man from shouting in his own flat. Solicitor Anika Jethwa told Dundee Sheriff Court that Gerrard Kelly, 41, shouts as a coping mechanism to deal with his “difficulties”.