Copfs

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Thomas Hein. The 25-year-old German national, an HGV driver for Josef Schnell, died on the A74(M) Glasgow to Carlisle Road near Moffat, around Junction 15, in the afternoon of F

A tax officer who embezzled thousands of pounds from HMRC to pay off her mortgage and settle other debts has been jailed for two years.  Joanne Connell, 37, used her position in the bankruptcy team and knowledge of the HMRC computer self-assessment system to add bogus credits to the records of

The Crown Office has warned of serious delays as time-bar extensions introduced during the pandemic are set to expire later this year. Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, 9,168 cases were dropped because they broke statutory time-bar limits or were delayed by other agencies.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is supporting a new child-centred resource from charity I Am Me Scotland focused on grooming, gangs and crime.  Aimed at young people in secure settings, a series of seven short films highlight the issues of child exploitation and human tra

A pharmacist who abused a position of trust to sexually abuse two women during medical examinations has been jailed. Tauqeer Azam was found guilty of two charges on 16 January following a trial before a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The 41-year-old, from Glasgow, was working in the Boots Pharmacy a

A man caught with a quantity of chemicals that could have been used to manufacture homemade explosives as well as being in possession of thousands of indecent images of children has been jailed for a total of 44 months. Ryan O’Donnell, 37, stored the substances, including potassium nitrate, ni

A rapist who targeted two girls and a woman in a campaign of sexual abuse lasting more than a decade has been jailed for 10 years. Scott Mclean, from Perth, was found guilty of 11 charges on 31 October 2024 following a trial at the High Court in Stirling. 

A man who carried out a campaign of violence and control towards women while moving around the country has been jailed for 14 years. Chef David Robertson, 28, from Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire, was found guilty of two charges of attempted murder as well as two counts of rape involving women he k

A man whose dog chased, attacked and injured a deer while the dog was being used to hunt hares has become the first person in Scotland to be convicted and sentenced under new hunting legislation. Nickolas Chenier, 56, admitted to using his golden Lurcher for hare coursing on land near a cemetery in

A domestic abuser who tried to murder his estranged wife by running her over twice has been jailed for more than seven years. William Budge also admitted subjecting his victim to a campaign of abuse when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on 6 January.  

A 61-year-old Aberdeen man who illegally kept and burned waste on a site near an Aberdeenshire village has been ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and placed under 18 months supervision. Derek McAllister was sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to a breach of the Envi

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry into the death of Jacqueline McQuillan. Ms McQuillan, 50, died of bronchopneumonia in Monklands Hospital on 29 October 2018.

A rapist found guilty of sexually abusing two young children has had his prison sentence increased following a successful appeal by the Crown. Ryan Brown, 36, was jailed for seven years at the High Court in Glasgow on 11 July 2024 after being convicted of two charges the previous month.

A drugs trafficker who set himself up as counter-surveillance expert to safeguard gangland criminals from law enforcement agencies has had his prison sentence increased following a successful appeal by the Crown. Ian Sweeney, 53, of Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire, was  sentenced to two years in p

Five men and two women have been jailed for serious sexual abuse of children in the Glasgow area. Iain Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48; Lesley Ann Williams, 43; Paul Brannan, 42, and John Clark, 49 were all given an order for lifelong restriction when they appeared