Copfs

A man found guilty of raping a pregnant woman and a child during a campaign of abuse which began five decades ago has been jailed.  Brian Thomson was convicted of three charges on 20 August 2025 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. The Crown led evidence which showed Thomson,

Seven men who murdered a father in Greenock by shooting him on the doorstep of his home have been jailed for life.   Neil Canney, or Wilson, was left seriously injured following the early morning attack on Nairn Road on 28 February 2023.  

A primary school worker who abused her position to embezzle thousands of pounds from school funds earmarked to help pupils from impoverished backgrounds has been jailed for 16 months. Administrative officer Jane Duncan, 54, of Dundee, stole around £28,000 from Mill O’Mains Primary betwee

A former children's home worker sexually abused two young boys five decades ago, a court has ruled.   John Porteous was found to have targeted the victims between 1966 and 1972 while employed as a houseparent at Quarriers Village in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire. 

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has expressed her "conviction" that tackling domestic abuse will make Scotland a safer place for women and girls after new figures shows a 0.4 per cent increase in the number of charges reported to the Crown Office. In 2024-25, 30,227 charges related to domestic abuse w

A man has been jailed indefinitely after sexually abusing two adolescent boys and a vulnerable man. James Grieve Donaldson, also known by the surname Murray, was found guilty of four charges following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has re-launched its policy for businesses wishing to ‘self-report’ economic crime, significantly expanding the range of offences eligible to be self-reported. The self-report initiative was originally introduced in 2011 to mark the c

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice with the Sheriff Court to begin the court process for the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the deaths of Lee McKinsley and Barry Watson.  Both men died while in legal custody at HMP Barlinnie during December 2020. 

An Edinburgh man who was found guilty of raping two vulnerable teenagers on the same night has been jailed indefinitely. Raymond Nyiam, also known as Otu Nyiam, was convicted of two charges on 15 April 2025 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. 

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Alistair Iain Campbell. Mr Campbell, 63, an HGV driver and operator who traded as Alistair Campbell Haulage, died on 15 July 2024 at his operating centre in Glen Mor, Invergarry

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of 57-year-old Francis Docherty. He died on 23 January 2022 within HMP Perth.

A teenager who prepared to commit racially motivated acts of terrorism after being radicalised online has been sentenced to a total of 10 years' detention and eight years' extended licence period. The 17-year-old had planned to set fire to a Muslim centre in Greenock after befriending the Imam and m

A former foster carer who neglected and abused vulnerable children placed into her care has been sentenced. Ella Cowan, from Crimond, Aberdeenshire, was found guilty of using cruel and unnatural treatment towards the four victims between 1977 and 1981.

A local authority councillor who groomed and sexually abused a vulnerable teenage girl has been jailed for more than two years. David Graham, of Methilhill, Fife, was found guilty on 23 July 2025 following a trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

A man who attacked his dog with an iron and a bottle and struck it with his fists during a prolonged beating has been imprisoned for nine months and banned from owning animals for life. Daniel Murphy’s one-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier was left yelping and trembling in fear as he inflict