Fai

Scotland's impotent fatal accident inquiry system has been condemned by families who have lost loved ones in tragic accidents, The Sunday Post reports. They spoke out following the announcement that it could take a year before any evidence is actually heard in an inquiry led by Lord Brodie into two

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today marked half a decade since the tragic M9 crash in which John Yuill and Lamara Bell died, and criticised “glacial and agonising” delays which mean that a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) has still not taken place into the crash and the

Stuart Munro of Livingstone Brown Solicitors responds to SLN's editorial on fatal accident inquiries held remotely. The delays involved in fatal accident inquiries are, in many cases, disgraceful. Bereaved families can struggle to move on with their lives while the circumstances of their loved one&r

All too often our coverage of fatal accident inquiries in Scotland is centred upon their non-occurrence rather than the lessons to be learned from them. A freedom of information request made last year revealed that there were 127 outstanding FAIs at the time of the inquiry. There has yet to be one i

The family of a woman who died in a helicopter crash off Shetland has expressed dismay that the fatal accident inquiry into the incident will be conducted by video conferencing technology, The Times reports. Alan Rodgers, a lawyer for the family, said at a video hearing that Sarah Darnley's relative

The Crown Office is setting up a dedicated unit to examine COVID-19 deaths, the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, has announced. Mr Wolffe said the unit's findings would help determine if fatal accident inquires should be held and that this included, but was not limited to, "care home workers, frontli

Former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has called for a prisoner release programme to be established by the Scottish government in light of the pandemic. Under the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act, only those convicted of sexual or terror offences or who pose a threat to an identified person will be req

A sheriff has expressed anger over the “deplorable” seven year wait for a fatal accident inquiry into a North Sea helicopter disaster. Four offshore workers were killed when a Super Puma helicopter crashed on its approach to Sumburgh airport in Shetland in August 2013.

The Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, writes on his desire to improve efficiencies in the Fatal Accident Inquiry system. An unexpected death can have a devastating impact on the bereaved, who have to confront not only the grief which follows the loss of a loved one but also questions about why the dea

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has written to the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC  about the findings of the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) describing the brutal death of Allan Marshall, an inmate of HMP Edinburgh in 2015. Mr McArthur’s letter highlights con

The fatal accident inquiry system is plagued by "unexplained delays" that “have the potential to devalue the purpose" of the system, according to a new report. The HM Chief Inspector of Prosecution’s review of the FAI regime found that three years on from the last thematic report, there

Fatal accident inquiry delays are causing severe distress to families who have lost loved ones, one sheriff has said. Sheriff Christine McCrossan spoke out after an inquiry found that a suicidal prisoner could have been saved if staff had followed proper procedures when he was admitted to prison, Th

Since the announcement last week that a fatal accident inquiry is to be held into the Super Puma helicopter crash off Shetland in August 2013, there has been a vociferous response criticising the delay of almost six years, writes Lisa Gregory. While perhaps in the minority, there will be some who wi

A Dundee boxer died in a fight that "should never have taken place", according to a fatal accident inquiry (FAI). Mike Towell died at the age of 25 in September 2016 after losing a match to Welsh figher Dale Evans, the BBC reports.

A review of legal aid funding for families involved in fatal accident inquiries has been announced. Community Safety Minister Ash Denham told MSPs that a full consultation would be undertaken before this year's summer recess with a view to introducing a new legal aid bill.