News

A 20 million euro plan to double the number of judges in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) is set to go ahead despite the court itself opposing the plan. The UK, which is opposed to the planned increase, is likely to be outvoted on the decision when Europe ministers meet next month.

The solicitor general, Lesley Thomson QC (pictured), has said the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the Glasgow bin lorry crash will look at the driver’s background, technical aspects of the vehicle itself and the safety of the route taken by the lorry. Six died and four were injured in the incide

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (pictured) is to address a conference of lawyers in Glasgow via video link from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London this week. Mr Assange, who has spent the past 34 months in the embassy building after he claimed asylum, is to discuss how mass data gathering infringes p

The former editor of defunct newspaper News of the World is to stand trial in Scotland next month on a charge of perjury. Andy Coulson, 47, was due to appear at the High Court in Edinburgh next week but at a preliminary hearing a judge set a new date of May 11 for the trial.

The auction house Christie’s has removed over £1.2 million worth of ancient artefacts after an academic from a Scottish university identified them as being linked to criminal networks in Europe The Scotsman reports. Dr Christos Tsirogiannis (pictured), a research assistant at the University of Gl

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Glasgow-based Clydesdale Bank £20,678,300 for serious failings in its Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) complaint handling processes between May 2011 and July 2013. It is the largest ever fine imposed by the FCA for failings relating to PPI and Clyde

A divorced father-of-two who was sequestrated after failing to meet his maintenance commitments towards his ex-wife and children has had a petition for suspension of a charge for payment and interdict refused. Crawford Hill argued that payments he made to his former wife Sally-Anne Hunter following

Scotland is poised to carry out a record number of extraditions as the UK gains access to a list of Europe’s most wanted criminals. When a new EU crime database goes live today police and prosecutors intend to send people back overseas to be dealt with in their own countries as well as get more Sc

The UK government’s former chief drug adviser has called on Scotland to legalise ecstasy and cannabis as medicines. Professor David Nutt (pictured), Edmond J Safra chairman in neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, was sacked by the last Labour government for saying some drugs were le

Frank Mulholland QC The lord advocate, Frank Mulholland QC has produced draft guidelines for prosecutors on alleged offences committed by possible human trafficking victims.

The Liberal Democrats said they will introduce legislation to safeguard digital rights within the first six months of a new parliament should they enter government as part of a coalition following the general election next month. The proposed bill of digital rights would aim to ensure human rights a

The police have admitted a number of failings in how they dealt with the death of a young boy in a fireball incident in Aberdeen last year. Preston Flores died in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh following the incident in which his clothes were ignited as he played with petrol in th

A Scottish businessman has been put on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) “most wanted” list following allegations he defrauded financial institutions and customers in the US. The internal law enforcement agency has offered a reward of £13,600 for information assisting in the arrest

Anderson Strathern has been appointed as the sole firm to provide presenting officer services to the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) following a competitive tender exercise. The firm was previously one of two providers of the services.