37 years after their bodies were discovered in East Lothian, Angus Sinclair has been convicted of the rape and murder of Helen Scott and Christine Eadie at the High Court in Livingston.  This was the first prosecution raised in Scotland following a change in the law relating to ‘double jeopardy’.

Six football fans were sentenced at Hamilton Sheriff Court this week for the parts they played in a disturbance in Hamilton town centre prior to the Hamilton v Falkirk football match on 5th January 2012. Four were served Football Banning Orders ranging from 12 to 22 months.

Through a strengthening of current prosecution policy, the Lord Advocate recently announced that first time offenders in Scotland who are found in possession of a knife now face more serious penalties.

Replacing the current common law and century-old statutory provisions regarding bribery and corruption, The Bribery Act 2010 came into force on 1 July 2011. Coinciding with the new legislation, the Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC, has approved an initiative making it possible for businesses to “self-report” bribery offences.

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) coordinated a campaign across Scotland on Friday 1 July 2011, the twentieth anniversary of legislation coming into force making it compulsory for adults to wear seatbelts in the rear of vehicles. Targeting seatbelt, speeding and inappropriate speed offences, the main objective of the campaign was to educate road users, to encourage them to comply with legislation and to protect their safety and that of other road users.