Case archive
Tommy Sheridan wins appeal for interest on £200,000 damages award for defamation
Tommy Sheridan is entitled to interest on the £200,000 damages he was awarded following his successful defamation action against the publishers of the News of the World, at the judicial rate of 8% per year from the date of the jury’s verdict in 2006 until the principal sum was paid in 2017, appeal judges have ruled.
Court of Session Inner House — 12 December 2018
No need for corroboration of absence of reasonable belief of consent in rape cases, appeal court rules
An absence of reasonable belief of consent, a key element of the statutory definition of rape, does not require to be proved by corroborated evidence and no direction on it is required unless it is a live issue at trial, the Criminal Appeal Court has ruled.
Criminal Appeal Court — 11 December 2018
Judge allows ‘time-barred’ damages claim over Glasgow bin lorry crash to proceed
Relatives of some of the victims of the Glasgow bin lorry crash who are suing Glasgow City Council for damages have been granted applications for their case against the local authority to proceed despite their claims being “time-barred”.
Court of Session Outer House — 10 December 2018
Community councils can be sued for damages, judge rules in personal injury claim
Community councils can be sued for damages for personal injuries, the Court of Session has ruled.
Court of Session Outer House — 7 December 2018
Roofer fails in appeal against attempted murder conviction following ‘self-defence’ claim
A man found guilty of attempting to kill a colleague following a post-work drinking session just days after they first met has had an appeal against his conviction rejected despite claiming he was acting in self-defence.
Criminal Appeal Court — 6 December 2018
Slap to child’s head amounted to Children’s Act offence, Sheriff Appeal Court rules
A summary sheriff erred in ruling that a mother’s slap to the head of her four-year-old daughter was not likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health so as to constitute an offence under the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937.
Sheriff Appeal Court — 5 December 2018
Woman loses appeal against ‘perverse’ assault conviction
A woman found guilty of assaulting another woman to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement by repeatedly punching and kicking her on the head and body after the jury deleted from the libel the words “and strike her head against vivarium and repeatedly strike her on the body with glass” has had an appeal against her conviction rejected.
Criminal Appeal Court — 4 December 2018
Half-sister of Clutha helicopter crash pilot refused permission to participate in fatal accident inquiry
The Sheriff Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin has published his reasons for refusing an application to participate in the fatal accident inquiry into the Clutha helicopter crash by the half-sister of the pilot who died in the disaster.
Sheriff Court — 30 November 2018
Scots lawyer who failed to pay counsel struck off for professional misconduct
A sole practitioner who failed to pay counsel for work done in relation to a number of cases has been struck off the solicitors’ roll.
Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal — 29 November 2018
Common law damages claim over vaginal mesh product to proceed to full hearing
A common law case brought by a woman who claims to have suffered “loss, injury and damage” as a result of medical treatment involving a vaginal mesh product will proceed to a full hearing despite the manufacturer’s attempts to have the action dismissed.
Court of Session Outer House — 28 November 2018
Children’s hearing’s decision that half-brother was not a ‘relevant person’ did not breach his human rights
A decision that a boy was not a “relevant person” for the purposes of attending a children’s hearing concerning his baby half-sister did not breach the older child’s human rights, appeal judges have ruled.
Court of Session Inner House — 27 November 2018
Scots lawyer struck off for ‘outrageous overcharging’ of clients
A Scots lawyer who overcharged clients by thousands of pounds, including one case which resulted in £116,000 compensation being paid out from the Law Society of Scotland’s client protection fund, has been struck off the roll of solicitors after being guilty of “professional misconduct”.
Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal — 26 November 2018
Extended sentence for man who possessed and shared extreme child sex abuse images was ‘entirely appropriate’
A man who claimed he did not pose a “serious risk of harm to the public” after being given an extended sentence for possessing and distributing indecent images of children has had an appeal against a sheriff’s decision to impose an extension period dismissed.
High Court of Justiciary — 23 November 2018
Judge rejects environmental campaigner’s bid for undercover policing inquiry in Scotland
An environmental campaigner who was seeking to challenge decisions of the UK and Scottish governments not to hold a public inquiry into undercover policing activities in Scotland following the so-called “spy-cops” scandal has had her application for judicial review dismissed.
Court of Session Outer House — 22 November 2018
"Madam Moneybags'" legal bid for review of conviction for brothel keeping ‘time-barred’
A woman found guilty of running a brothel and escort business in Edinburgh who claimed she suffered a “miscarriage of justice” has failed in a legal challenge against a decision of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) to reject an application to refer her case to the High Court of Justiciary for an appeal.
Court of Session Outer House — 21 November 2018
