News

A new social media trend which encourages young people to lie in front of oncoming traffic has been condemned by police in Ireland. The "ghosting" trend sees people challenged to lie on roads with a sheet over them in an attempt to stop oncoming traffic.

The Outer House of the Court of Session has rejected a petition for judicial review by six hospitality businesses and a commercial let operator in Edinburgh challenging the Scottish Ministers’ decision to continue the operation of Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions in the city.&

New legislation which would increase the penalties for dog-owners whose pets chase, attack or kill farmed animals will require significant amendment and clear guidance as to how it will work in practice if it is to meet its aim of reducing incidents of so-called “livestock worrying”, acc

Richard Douglas-Home looks at proposed changes to the capital gains tax regime. The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is an independent office of the Treasury, set up in 2010 to provide advice to the government on simplifying the UK tax system. It will produce reports either on its own initiative o

Plans to protect at least 30 per cent of Scotland’s land for nature by 2030 – and to examine options to extend this further – have been announced today by Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham. The proposals were published in a new ‘Statement of Intent on Biodiversity&rsq

The European Court of Human Rights has rejected the applications of three symphysiotomy victims in Ireland as being “manifestly ill-founded”. The women, who are to remain anonymous, claimed that Ireland had breached their human rights by preventing them from pursuing complaints that the

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has developed a new analysis tool to help firms to identify and reduce the common causes of complaint. Law Society of Scotland rules updated earlier this year require firms to maintain a complaint log, including learning outcomes from the complain

Scottish Licensing Law and Practice (SLLP) in association with Hey Legal and with support from Terra Firma Chambers have hosted the first of a series of webinar interviews focusing on the challenges faced by the licensing trade during lockdown. Lockdown Licensing: The Interview Series will feature t

A law firm is urging employers to be mindful of workers’ rights during the pandemic following calls to the UK government for greater protection of pregnant employees in the wake of a nurse's death. Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong died on 12 April at Luton and Dunstable Hospital where she work

Pinsent Masons trainee Poppy Mulligan has been awarded the Champion Individual Award at the Champions of Justice Awards 2020 for her pro bono work with individuals on death row.

A six-year-old boy has cost his mother over €13,000 by buying virtual gold rings for real money in his favourite mobile game. Real estate broker Jessica Johnson was cleared out over the course of a month by her young son when he went on a spending spree in the Sonic Forces mobile game.

The High Court of Justiciary has determined that a man who was charged with causing two deaths by dangerous driving could not also be charged with perverting the course of justice by stating his defence to the charge. The defence given by Graham Turner to the dangerous driving ch

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has improved how it operates but policing in Scotland is not financially sustainable, says the Auditor General for Scotland. Leadership of the SPA and Police Scotland has stabilised, and the authority has made progress in financial planning and management, as well

People can request a forensic medical examination without having to report a crime under a law passed at Holyrood. The Forensic Medical Services Bill, which passed unanimously, places a duty on health boards to give victims direct access to trauma-informed, person-centred forensic medical examinatio

The Lord Justice General has appointed two new members to the Scottish Sentencing Council to fill the current vacancies. Lord Matthews has been appointed as the new senator member and will replace Lord Turnbull following the end of his five-year term on the council, while Summary Sheriff Paul Brown