Copfs

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a discretionary fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Alexander Gray. Mr Gray, aged 73, was killed by his son Christopher Gray on 23 February 2021 in the flat they shared in Falkirk. 

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of 36-year-old James Stevenson.   Mr Stevenson died on 11 October 2021 at HMP Shotts. He was in legal custody and in the care of the state at the time of his death.  

A serial rapist who sexually abused multiple women and girls over the course of nearly a decade has been jailed for 15 years. Stuart Harding was found guilty of 12 charges on 5 February 2025 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. The 35-year-old's offending involved five victims and

A man who stole £30,000 from his elderly, dementia-stricken father has been sentenced. James Kelly, 64, took the money after being appointed financial and welfare guardian for his father, also called James, who was a full-time patient within the Acute Admission Unit at Dykebar Hospital, Paisle

A British Army officer who raped and sexually assaulted a woman after meeting her on a dating app has been jailed.  Calum MacGregor was convicted on 30 January 2025 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. The 30-year-old left the victim injured by attacking her at her home in Dec

An extradited serious crime group leader who orchestrated the importation of controlled drugs from South America to Scotland has been ordered to repay more than £125,000 under proceeds of crime laws.  Paul Fleming, 40, was sentenced to nine years in prison at the High Court in Stirling in

Justice Secretary Angela Constance has pledged to explore “transitional arrangements” to prevent prosecutors from dropping thousands of criminal cases as statutory time-bar limits revert to pre-pandemic levels later this year. With Scotland’s criminal justice system already under p

A sex offender who travelled to Scotland to rape a child after messaging her on Snapchat has been given an order for lifelong restriction. Wayne Phillipson was found guilty of attacking the victim following a trial at the High Court in Livingston in August 2024. The 48-year-old, from Durham, sent th

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Thomas Hein. The 25-year-old German national, an HGV driver for Josef Schnell, died on the A74(M) Glasgow to Carlisle Road near Moffat, around Junction 15, in the afternoon of F

A tax officer who embezzled thousands of pounds from HMRC to pay off her mortgage and settle other debts has been jailed for two years.  Joanne Connell, 37, used her position in the bankruptcy team and knowledge of the HMRC computer self-assessment system to add bogus credits to the records of

The Crown Office has warned of serious delays as time-bar extensions introduced during the pandemic are set to expire later this year. Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, 9,168 cases were dropped because they broke statutory time-bar limits or were delayed by other agencies.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is supporting a new child-centred resource from charity I Am Me Scotland focused on grooming, gangs and crime.  Aimed at young people in secure settings, a series of seven short films highlight the issues of child exploitation and human tra

A pharmacist who abused a position of trust to sexually abuse two women during medical examinations has been jailed. Tauqeer Azam was found guilty of two charges on 16 January following a trial before a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The 41-year-old, from Glasgow, was working in the Boots Pharmacy a

A man caught with a quantity of chemicals that could have been used to manufacture homemade explosives as well as being in possession of thousands of indecent images of children has been jailed for a total of 44 months. Ryan O’Donnell, 37, stored the substances, including potassium nitrate, ni

A rapist who targeted two girls and a woman in a campaign of sexual abuse lasting more than a decade has been jailed for 10 years. Scott Mclean, from Perth, was found guilty of 11 charges on 31 October 2024 following a trial at the High Court in Stirling.