Copfs

An oil company has admitted regulatory failings which led to the discharge of crude oil into the North Sea. BP Exploration Operating Company Limited (BP) pled guilty to a contravention of Regulation 3(1) of the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2005 at

A Paisley man who killed a 15-year-old schoolgirl in a hit and run incident has been sentenced to five years and three months' imprisonment. 21-year-old Shaun Gatti was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after pleading guilty to causing the death of Robyn Fryar on Glenburn Road, Paisley.

A man who was manufacturing improvised firearms known as ‘slam guns’ in his garden shed has been jailed for five years. Ricky Taylor’s home in Royston, Glasgow was searched as part of an intelligence-led operation on 14 February 2020.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has revised its internal policy on the recovery of sensitive personal records of rape complainers for use as evidence. The move follows a Court of Session decision by Lord Glennie (WF v Scottish Ministers 2016 SLT 359) in which the right of a complainer

The Crown Office is setting up a dedicated unit to examine COVID-19 deaths, the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, has announced. Mr Wolffe said the unit's findings would help determine if fatal accident inquires should be held and that this included, but was not limited to, "care home workers, frontli

A financial services director who conned more than 140 clients out of over £13 million has been jailed.

The Lord Advocate has reiterated the Crown's commitment that any reported person who deliberately coughs or spits at police officers or other front-line workers during the coronavirus emergency will be dealt with robustly by Scotland's prosecution service. James Wolffe QC has said placing at ri

The Lord Advocate has said that domestic abuse cases will continue to be prosecuted vigorously and fairly during the coronavirus pandemic. This comes one year after the introduction of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which criminalised coercive and controlling behaviour towards a partner or

Digby Brown has helped secure £100,000 in compensation for a man who was wrongly arrested and sent to prison on remand after being mistaken for someone else. Gary Webb, 60, spent a night in the police cells and three in jail in 2015 even though he showed officers from Police Scotland evid

A former procurator fiscal has brought an unfair dismissal claim against the Crown Office. Laura Malone raised the proceedings after claiming bosses placed “excessive and continued demands” on her.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has received an additional £300,000 investment to help clear overdue post-mortem reports. The Crown relies upon experts employed by the University of Glasgow for a significant amount of the medical and scientific services it needs and

A woman has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged theft from the procurator fiscal's office in Aberdeen. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the 33-year-old was arrested in relation to a "suspected security breach" in an evidence store, STV reports.

The trial of a prosecutor accused of sending “racially aggravated” and “offensive” messages has been set for this month. David Wilkie-Thorburn, 52, an assistant procurator fiscal for Grampian Highlands and Islands, allegedly sent a message to a woman that was “grossly o

A sheriff has questioned why the Crown brought charges against a doctor who used force against a boy who was misbehaving, The Scotsman reports. Dr Alexander Waters, 45, pinched and pushed the six-year-old who was wrecking a bedroom with another child while the off-duty medic was looking after them.

One of the lawyers who worked on the Lockerbie bombing case has died at the age of 57. John Dunn, a career prosecutor with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in 2018. He passed away last Wednesday.