Sexual Offences

The manner in which a sexual assault case was conducted "gives rise to real causes of concern", the Lord Justice General has said. At the Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary, Lord Carloway, sitting with Lord Turnbull and Lord Pentland, refused the appeal of Gavin Watson MacDonald who had be

Sex offence rates in Glasgow have declined by 22.5 per cent in the nine months to December 31, 2019, according to police figures. The number of such crimes recorded in the division dropped from 837 to 648 as compared with the same period in the preceding year.

A bill providing for the healthcare needs of alleged victims of rape and sexual offences is to be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee. The bill would allow alleged victims over the age of 16 to ‘self-refer’ themselves to NHS facilities for forensic me

The Bar Council has partnered with a Silicon Valley company to create an app for barristers to report bullying and sexual harassment. Talk to Spot will be rolled out this autumn and follows reports this year of widespread inappropriate behaviour at the bar.

Scotland is considering the creation of a dedicated sexual offences court, a judge has said. Lord Matthews said in a speech at the Third International Advocacy Conference in Nottingham that a judge-led sexual offences review group is considering the measure.

Suspected sex offenders should remain anonymous until charged so long as they have a reputation to protect, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC has said. The new Lord Chancellor, who backed a campaign by Sir Cliff Richard and Paul Gambaccini to impose a ban on revealing the names of people arrested

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) should extend its victim strategy to complainers of sexual crimes that are prosecuted in the sheriff solemn courts, a review has found.

Bullying and sexual harassment is "rife in the legal profession", according to a new study which surveyed nearly 7,000 legal professionals from 135 countries. The International Bar Association (IBA) and international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills today launched the Us Too? – Bullying and Se

Restricted public access to rape trials and the provision of publicly-funded legal advice to complainants are among the final recommendations of the judge-led review into serious sexual offence trials.

A girl who told judges she lied about allegations that resulted in her grandfather being convicted and jailed for sexually abusing her has had her plea for him to be released rejected. The man, 68, must continue to serve his 12-year sentence even though the girl, known as M, said she lied at trial,

A judge in the Court of Appeal has said it "beggars belief" that a woman would falsely claim to have been raped and sexually assaulted 15 times in order to claim victim compensation, as her appeal against conviction was rejected. Jemma Beale, 27, was described as a "serial liar" who in part made up

A senior criminal practitioner will be a Faculty representative on a new panel looking at the way sexual offence cases are dealt with in the courts. Frances McMenamin QC has been confirmed as a member of the review group, chaired by Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk.

A judge-led review group is to consider what distinguishes sexual assault cases from other criminal cases and how court process and the experiences of complainers and witnesses can be improved – without compromising the rights of the accused. The review group, chaired by Lady Dorrian, the Lord

Proposals to improve forensic medical services for rape and sexual assault complainers have been launched. The consultation, which addresses recommendations made by the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICS) to strengthen delivery of healthcare and forensic medical services, will s

Judges are the main source of bullying in the legal profession while sexual harassment and propositioning remain a problem, a survey for The Times has revealed. More than half of 1,500 barristers surveyed by the Bar Council thought there was still a problem with bullying and older male barristers se