The Scottish Government is taking serious steps to tackle the growing problem of metal theft, the Justice Secretary has announced.
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McSporrans criminal solicitors' latest news on all aspects of criminal & road traffic law.
A major review of the Scottish criminal justice system has recently been published. The review considers the future of Scots law and practice following the UK Supreme Court's Cadder ruling last year, and the impact of recent legislation on criminal procedure.
The House of Lords EU Justice and Institutions Sub-Committee has invited contributions to a new inquiry into EU criminal procedure.
Fewer Scots are likely to become victims of crime, according to the largest survey of perceptions and experiences of crime carried out in Scotland.
A man has been sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court to eight months imprisonment and handed a five year Football Banning Order after admitting posting offensive sectarian messages on a social networking site.
A majority of members of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee have shown their support for the two new offences included in the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill.
A recent poll has revealed that 91% of Scottish people would like to see stronger action being taken against sectarianism and offensive behaviour associated with football.
People who fund their lifestyles by the proceeds of crime are to be targeted in a new intelligence gathering campaign launched by Lothian and Borders Police.
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.
The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC, has sought clarification from the UK Supreme Court on the law regarding rights of suspects who have been detained by police in Scotland.
The Law Society of Scotland has launched a defence of the Scots law requirement of corroboration, through which at least two individual pieces of evidence are required for a criminal conviction to be secured.
The Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh has, today on 8 June 2011, quashed Scottish man Nat Fraser’s conviction for murder, although the hearing on whether there is to be a retrial is continuing.
The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC, has announced plans to create a new 'cold case' investigation unit to assist the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the police with unsolved murders and other serious crimes in Scotland.
An appeal hearing deciding on a potential retrial of Scottish businessman Nat Fraser convicted of murdering his wife has been adjourned until 8 June 2011.
Further to our recent blog post regarding the grant of a Confiscation Order for £81,744.68 against a convicted Scottish criminal, the High Court in Edinburgh has granted further Confiscation Orders against two convicted drug dealers from Glasgow and Dunfermline.
On 10 May, a Confiscation Order for £81,744.68 was made against a Scottish man, Mr Paul Ross. Mr Ross was previously sentenced at Elgin Sheriff Court on 15 July 2009 to four years imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to the charge of producing and being in possession of a controlled Class A drug, Methylamphetamine. The relevant sections of the criminal law are Section 4(1), 4(2)(a), 5(1), 5(2) and Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
A Scottish woman has been convicted for illegally sharing music files online.
The Law Society of Scotland has called for a full review of the compatibility of criminal law in Scotland with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), to try to prevent issues such as those arising from the Cadder v HMA case recurring.
