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A former residential social worker who physically and sexually abused boys at an East Lothian children’s home has been jailed for two years and six months. Peter Livingstone was found guilty of six charges on 14 February 2025 following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. The 67-year-old was em

A murderer has had the punishment part of his life sentence increased following an appeal by the Crown. Christopher Brown, 37, was ordered to serve at least 13 years in custody after being found guilty of killing Henry White, 57, following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh last year. Brown subj

The number of asylum seekers appealing against a rejected asylum application has risen almost sixfold in two years, according to analysis by the Refugee Council charity. The latest official statistics show a fivefold increase in the number of asylum claims waiting for an appeal hearing. Statistics f

The trial of the man accused of helping to make the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie more than 30 years ago has been delayed, US court papers have confirmed. Abu Agila Mas'ud was, a Libyan national, had been scheduled to go on trial in Washington on 12 May, but district court jud

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Human rights observer says Russia’s first monitoring mission in Ukraine documented the Kremlin’s evolving state terror system | Meduza

The Law Society of Scotland has said it will ensure a newly launched Holyrood inquiry understands the extent of the crisis in civil legal aid, and the changes required to restore the system. The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee yesterday launched a cal

The island nation of Nauru is offering citizenship for around £81,200 under a new scheme aimed at tackling the impact of climate change. The Pacific Ocean country is the world's smallest independent republic and third-smallest country, with a population of around 12,000 people.

Edinburgh Law School and Brodies LLP are hosting the Charles Smith Memorial Lecture later this month, which this year takes the form of a discussion panel to mark the 30th anniversary of the Brodies Environmental Law lecture series. The UK has set ambitious legal targets to reach net zero by mid-cen

A new series provides a rare look into two of Scotland’s prisons which house women – HMP and YOI Grampian in Peterhead which has 50 prisoners and HMP & YOI Stirling which operates with up to 117 prisoners. With wide access to both prisons which offers insights into daily prison life,

A UN judge has been convicted in England of forcing a woman to work as a slave. Judge Lydia Mugambe was initially appointed to the judicial roster of the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in May 2023 – three months after her arrest in Oxford, where she was stud

The Aberdeen Law Project (ALP) has successfully obtained a four-figure sum for a client through a simple procedure application to the Sheriff Court. Prior to ALP’s engagement in the matter, the client had paid a deposit for solar panels that the company failed to install. The client had attemp

A man who damaged and obstructed access to a badger sett has been fined £400. Dylan Boyle, 52, was seen placing nets on a slope and digging with a spade near active badger setts at a farm near Cupar, Fife, in January last year.

Further measures to prevent people becoming homeless will be introduced as part of amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill. The bill currently places a stronger importance on preventing homelessness through ‘ask and act’ duties on social landlords and relevant bodies, such as health bo

The Council of Europe has adopted the first-ever international treaty aiming to protect the profession of lawyer. The treaty was drafted in response to increasing reports of attacks on the legal profession, including in the form of harassment, threats or attacks, or interference with the exercise of

New legislation to enable Scotland to host EURO 2028, including measures to tackle ticket touting, has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament.  The UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill will: