News

The High Court of Justiciary has allowed an appeal by an Edinburgh man against his conviction for culpable homicide after he argued that the trial judge had misdirected the jury in relation to the definition of the offence.  David Ditchburn was convicted of four charges in May 20

A new bill which would allow children to take public bodies to court for breaches of their rights by incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law should be extended to include private sector and voluntary organisations who deliver public services, acc

The Law Society of Scotland has said that small, high street law firms should not be hit with an economic crime levy. The Law Society is strongly opposed to the legal profession paying such a levy as solicitors are subject to stringent anti-money laundering requirements, but has stated that if it is

There have been unacceptable delays in sexual crime cases, HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland has warned. The head of the prosecution watchdog said the backlog of almost 30,000 cases is continuing to grow during the pandemic.

Proposed powers that would let HMRC force financial institutions to provide information regarding people's assets without their approval are "flawed", a House of Lords committee has said. In a new report, the Economics Affairs Committee criticised a proposal in the Finance Bill, which will beco

A legal action by more than 100 Scottish businesses against Clydesdale Bank over loans that were allegedly mis-sold will be heard in the English High Court, with Scots law applied to claims from businesses based in Scotland. The action, which involves some 500 businesses, is being brought against th

The death of a sheep farmer has led to calls for safety helmets to be worn when riding quad bikes. Iain MacNicol, 76, was involved in an accident in 2018 on his family farm when he was rounding up sheep.

Shoosmiths' Edinburgh and Glasgow offices have been working hard to bring some festive cheer to those in need. More than £1,000 has been raised by staff in Glasgow and Edinburgh to date, a sum that has contributed to the running total of over £6,000 raised for Teenage Cancer Trust&n

Caroline Gillespie considers proposed additional powers to tackle domestic abuse and recent statistics on charges for, and prosecution of, domestic abuse. Scotland’s police, courts and social landlords may soon be given additional powers to protect victims of domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse

A woman who spent £1 million a year at Harrods will have to give up her £15m home unless she reveals the source of her cash following the UK's first "dirty money" investigation. Zamira Hajiyeva, wife of the former head of the Azerbaijani state bank, who was jailed for fraud, has been ref

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to continue to pursue the prosecution of Harry Dunn's alleged killer, despite failing in the High Court. The parents of Mr Dunn last month lost their court battle against the Foreign Office over whether the alleged killer of their son enjoyed diplomatic immunit

A soldier in the United States Space Force has been demoted after he abandoned training to buy a PlayStation 5. When contacted by his superior, he replied: “Yolo, PS5 > letters of discipline.”

The Sheriff Appeal Court (Civil Division) has refused an appeal by a mother against the decision to grant a permanence order in respect of her 10-year-old son, Z, to allow him to stay with his maternal grandparents. The order was originally sought by Scottish Borders Council to a

The Scottish Law Commission and the Law Commission of England and Wales have today announced landmark proposals that will seek to ensure the safety of self-driving vehicles via a comprehensive new legal framework. Hailed as “leading the way on the regulation of this technology” by transp

The Scottish Sentencing Council has today published two reports: on sentence discounting and environmental and wildlife crime. Sentence discounting is the term commonly given to the practice of reducing a sentence when an accused pleads guilty. In Scotland, the court is required by law to consider a