News

The annual Red Mass to mark the beginning of the new legal year in Scotland takes place on Sunday, 24 September 2023 at 12 noon. The mass will be celebrated in St Mary’s R.C. Cathedral, Broughton Street, Edinburgh and the principal celebrant will be the Most Reverend Leo Cushley, Archbishop of

The UK is "required by history and law" to pay trillions of pounds in reparations for transatlantic chattel slavery, a senior judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said. Judge Patrick Robinson, who was president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

Work to reduce the re-traumatisation of victims and witnesses of crime will help promote equality in Scotland’s justice system, according to a new report. Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC, Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan from Police Scotland and Jen Ang of the Scottish Women’s Right

In the recent case of Tilbury Douglas Construction Limited v Ove Arup & Partners Scotland Limited CA117/21 [2023] CSOH 53 the issue of prescription was revisited by Lord Harrower at a preliminary proof, writes Karen Cornwell. By way of background, the ongoing case involves the development of a f

Property listings for sale in Scotland have risen substantially across several cities, according to DJ Alexander. The most noteworthy increases from August 2022 to August 2023 were in Inverness with an 83 per cent rise, followed by Dundee at 81 per cent. Edinburgh saw a 45 per cent increase, Perth r

Almost half of the letters sent by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to complainants are riddled with errors, according to an official report. The CPS watchdog has told the service to “act urgently to get a grip of this situation” as it revealed that letters are full of misspellings or

An appeal hearing at a Moscow court yesterday which upheld the 13-year sentence imposed on Maksym Butkevych, a Ukrainian human rights defender, is a grave miscarriage of justice, Amnesty International said. The decision to imprison him for 13 years was taken by the so-called supreme court in Russian

Drug deaths have fallen by 279 (21 per cent) compared with 2021, figures from National Records of Scotland show. Drugs minister Elena Whitham said: “My sympathy goes out to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs.

The owners of a popular 50-acre sunflower field have begged visitors to stop stripping off to take risqué photographs among the flowers. Stoke Fruit Farm in the south of England said there had been at least six incidents of "naked photography taking place" since the end of July, CNN reports.

Disruption to jury trials on the islands must be resolved, Justice Secretary Angela Constance has been told. Last month Sheriff Principal Pyle published an order of court introducing changes to the jury court operations for Grampian, Highland and Islands Sheriffdom. The order requires new jury trial

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has secured certification trademark status for 'Scotch Whisky' in Hong Kong, ensuring that only whiskies produced in Scotland following strict guidelines can be labelled as such. To qualify, whisky must be crafted using water, cereals, and yeast, and must mature i

The use of snare traps could be banned as part of new plans to protect vulnerable wildlife and promote sustainable wildlife management. The Scottish government is seeking the public’s views on whether an outright ban should be put in place or if any exemptions should be considered. A snare is

Addleshaw Goddard has unveiled the 15 high-growth tech businesses chosen for its 2023 AG Elevate mentoring scheme – with three Scottish businesses making the final cut. More than a quarter of this year's intake have AI central to their proposition, with health tech also featuring prominently a

With its iconic theme tune and gritty storylines, Taggart set the standard for the modern TV police drama and turned its much-loved cast into household names. But one character remained ever present during its record-breaking 27-season run – the city of Glasgow.

The average time between pleading diet and evidence led trial is 43 weeks for High Court, compared to the pre-Covid level of 22 weeks, new figures have revealed. Data from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) show the volume of cases being progressed each month in the High Court, Sheriff