News

The Scottish government has announced funding of £2.25 million to implement new forensic medial examination standards for rape and sexual assault survivors. The standards, published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), will ensure that survivors – regardless of age, personal circumstances or

Members and staff of the Faculty of Advocates have been given heartfelt thanks for bringing “magical” Christmas cheer to vulnerable families. For the third year, Maria Maguire QC has organised a collection of presents, treats and cash which were donated to the family support charity, Home-Start

A woman who raised legal proceedings to strip her former partner of her “motherhood” following the bitter breakdown of their relationship has had her action dismissed by a court in the first reported case of its kind in Scotland. The woman, who gave birth to twin boys following artificial insemi

Police accidentally made a live broadcast of plans to arrest a suspected North Korean agent – three days before the operation.The “loyal agent of North Korea” was charged with trying to sell missile parts on the black market in Sydney to raise money for the country.But officers accidentally st

James Wolffe QC Scotland’s prosecution service has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) to obtain feedback from complainers and victims of sexual crime about their experience of the justice system.

A 27-year-old who carried out a campaign of harassment against a number of women has been sentenced to 22 months in prison, made the subject of a non-harassment order and placed on the sex offenders register. Adele Rennie, a former nurse, has admitted using a host of invented aliases to carry out a

Beverley Addison

A lawyer has called for people who make false rape allegations to be stripped of anonymity and named on a public register. Nick Freeman, known as ‘Mr Loopole’, made the comments after the case of Liam Allan, 22, whose rape trial collapsed after it emerged that the alleged victim was lying.

Dr Andrew Steven

Scottish courts have an “inherent power” to depart from the principle of open justice and make an order for anonymity to prohibit publication of and to protect the identity of alleged victims of extortion, appeal judges have confirmed. The judges ruled that the complainer’s “right to privacy

Robert Fraser House sales in Scotland topped £5 billion during the third quarter, with the average home in both Edinburgh and East Renfrewshire now costing more than quarter of a million pounds.

The effectiveness of UK sanctions will be undermined unless the UK can quickly agree arrangements for future sanctions policy co-operation with the EU, the EU External Affairs Sub-Committee has stated in a new report. Without this, the UK could be left with the choice of imposing less effective unil

The prosecutors’ union has warned that its members will not be the only ones to bear the consequences of a budget cut and that there “will inevitably be an impact on the wider justice system and the service provided to the public”. The budget for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal (COPFS)

Five new sheriffs have been appointed by Her Majesty the Queen to take up office in the New Year.

Jeane Freeman The Scottish government has repeated its commitment to allow Scotland’s new social security system to be open to independent scrutiny.