News

A specialist crime unit to deal with food fraud is to be established in Scotland and will involve organisations including Police Scotland, the UK Border Agency, HMRC as well as local authorities. The new crime unit is expected to be created after Food Standards Scotland (FSS) takes over from the UK-

A public information campaign to tackle child sexual exploitation is being launched by the Scottish government later this year. Children’s charities, police and young people are being consulted on the shape of the campaign to ensure it reaches those who are at risk of exploitation and makes a real

The amount of heroin discovered being smuggled into Perth Prison has risen by 500 per cent in the past year. Heroin seized by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) rose from 1.6 grams in 2013/14 to 9.5 grams in 2014/15.

Gordon Lindhorst (left) and Prime Minister David Cameron

Solicitor Aamer Anwar has claimed security officials were aware that one of the schoolgirls from London who travelled to Syria last week to join ISIS had been in contact with Glaswegian girl Aqsa Mahmood who joined the organisation last year. Mr Anwar, who is the Mahmood family’s solicitor, said t

The lord advocate Frank Mulholland QC believes the Contempt of Court Act 1981 must be altered to take account of the rise of online activity and the change in the law that led to the abolition of double jeopardy. Writing in Scottish Legal News Annual Review 2015, the Mr Mulholland suggests the law i

A Dundee solicitor advocate has been acquitted of a speeding charge following a traffic expert’s opinion that police evidence against him described a physically impossible situation. Kristofer Gilmartin, 33 (pictured), of Norrie and Gilmartin Solicitors, denied driving at 51mph in a 30mph limit ar

Over a third of Scots believe Police Scotland’s service is inferior to that of its predecessors. A poll carried out by The Sunday Post found that 38 per cent of people think the service offered by the single force has worsened following the amalgamation of the eight former police forces in 2013.

The Criminal Appeal Court has issued an opinion designed to highlight the point that a decision of a sifting judge must relate to the questions posed in a stated case and not to the content of any earlier application to the court. The Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Carloway (pictured), observed that while

Justice secretary Michael Matheson has announced a near £1 million funding package for three leading voluntary organisations working to reduce reoffending in Scotland. The funding will allow Apex Scotland, SACRO and Families Outside to continue to deliver a range of specialist services in 2015/16 f

Ben Bestgen (pictured) discusses the idea of separating share-ownership and the right to vote attaching to shares as well as the advantages and disadvantages of such a system. In Company Lawyer 2015 36(6), pp 67-71, Professor Panagiotis Panagiotou, a Greek attorney at the Supreme Court of Athens and

A key Faculty of Advocates post, convenor of the law reform committee, has changed hands due to the general election. Joanna Cherry QC, stood down as convenor after being selected as a candidate in the election. She has been succeeded by Laura Dunlop QC (pictured).

Scottish solicitors and members of the public are being warned to be on the alert for fraudulent law firms by the Law Society of Scotland. Qualified solicitors are increasingly being targeted by fraudsters using their details on fake law firm websites and the Law Society is asking its members to be

The future earnings of two people who committed fraud have been seized by the Crown Office under confiscation orders for £1 each. The Crown acquired the confiscation orders against a financial embezzler and a benefits fraudster.

The chief constable of Police Scotland Sir Stephen House has rebuffed claims confidence in the single force is “ebbing away” during questions at Holyrood yesterday over his leadership. MSPs brought Sir Stephen’s leadership into question at a justice subcommittee yesterday at Holyrood, with ind