News

Maya Foa The family of an 81-year-old British journalist fear he could die in a Bangladeshi prison from ill health within months if he is not released. Shafik Rehman, who used to work for the BBC, has now spent four months detained without charge.

The beneficiaries of a trust fund which was created by a now deceased woman to reduce the impact of inheritance tax on her family have had a petition for rectification of a deed of appointment refused by a judge in the Court of Session. Lord Turnbull ruled that the deed accurately expressed the inte

The Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland has today published a thematic report on fatal accident inquiries (FAIs). In recent years, the length of time taken between the date of death and the start of an FAI has attracted considerable criticism. This inspection sought to identify reasons for such

Plans to plug a gap in provisions on cross-border powers of arrest have been backed by the Faculty of Advocates. Current legislation allows people suspected of an offence in one part of the UK to be arrested in another part. They can be detained without warrant by police from the jurisdiction where

Lord Hardie The Edinburgh trams inquiry could result in criminal prosecutions according to its chair, Lord Hardie.

The Orange Order has called a bottled water company’s decision to drop a campaign called “Orange and Proud” in Scotland and Ireland “bizarre”. Volvic’s advertising board campaign will only appear in England and Wales over worries it might offend Catholics and give the impression the comp

Pictured: back from left – Scott Milne, joint managing partner; Lauren Fettes; Lynne Macintyre; Robin Dunlop; Craig Nicol. Front from left – Lynne Sturrock; Graham Lambert; Anne Miller

Police Scotland has denied there is an “overtime ban” after a whistle-blower claimed he was instructed to abandon drug investigations in case he incurred extra hours. The officer chose to remain anonymous as he risks “career suicide” by highlighting his concerns.

Fergus Ewing A consultation on proposals to amend legislation so that specified forms of electrofishing would be permitted for catching razor clams has been launched.

Philip Gormley Famed crime writer Ian Rankin has revealed that the head of Police Scotland invited Scotland’s top crime writers to dinner in order to “reassure” them that changes to the force would not affect their novels.

A man found guilty of stalking who claimed that the sheriff “misdirected” the jury by failing to advise them of the need for his conduct to have caused “actual fear or alarm” has failed in an appeal against conviction, after the Criminal Appeal Court ruled that the misdirection was not a “

Following our report of a case in which a sheriff jailed a woman for 14 days because she refused to swear under oath that her husband had abused her, we have received a response from a solicitor in private practice who wishes to remain anonymous. The views expressed here are those of the solicitor a

Chris Keates A trio of teachers have launched a legal case to block their transfers to different schools, on the basis of their contracts' mobility clauses, in a case that could make it more difficult for councils to move underperforming teachers in the future, The Herald reports.

Aileen Campbell New statistics released today show that in 2015 there were more drug-related deaths recorded than ever before, at 93, 15 per cent higher than in 2014 and more than double the figure for 2005 (336).

Coral Riddell and Alistair Dean