Scba

The new vice-president of the Scottish Criminal Bar Association has been announced as Jennifer Bain – and she wants to use the position to repay a debt. Ms Bain’s election completes changes at the top of the SCBA, following Tony Lenehan’s move from vice-president to president.

A number of changes have been made at the Scottish Criminal Bar Association, where Tony Lenehan has taken over as president. The senior position had been held by Ronnie Renucci QC, who was elected Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in August and stepped down from the SCBA after two years.

The Scottish Criminal Bar Association (SCBA) has expressed optimism after a roundtable discussion about jury trials during the COVID-19 emergency. Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf hosted the video conference in which the SCBA and other interested parties were represented.

The Scottish government's plans to introduce a presumption against prison sentences of 12 months or less would, in practice, apply to sentences of anywhere up to 18 months where a guilty plea is tendered early enough and would limit access to justice as declining summary business shrinks the pool of