Copfs

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

A man who defrauded businesses out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been sentenced to five years in prison following a prosecution by the Crown Office. Barry Mackland was found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh of defrauding three agricultural firms in a swindle worth £630,

The procurator fiscal has lodged first notices with the Sheriff Court to commence the court process for fatal accident inquiries (FAIs) into the deaths of two prisoners who died from Covid. Both Edward Simpson, 55, and John Ian Reid, 63, died in hospital after contracting the virus while in legal cu

A former Edinburgh Academy teacher exploited a position of trust to physically and sexually abuse young boys, a court has ruled.   John Young was found to have targeted pupils while employed as a PE teacher at the independent school in the capital between 1966 and 1993.

A former foster carer abused at least four vulnerable children in her care over a 16-year period. Gillian Murray was found guilty of using cruel and unnatural treatment towards the young victims following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

The procurator fiscal has lodged a first notice with the Sheriff Court to begin the court process for a joint fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of Ruaridh Stevenson and Kayden Walker. Twelve-year-old Kayden, from Bridgeton, Glasgow, drowned after becoming trapped on the upstream side of a weir

A decision has been made to hold a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) following the death of Jamie Forbes at Elphinstone Court, Aberdeen on 15 January 2024. Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has decided that it is in the public interest to hold an FAI to examine the full circumstances surrounding this tragic

An airport company has been fined £144,050 for failures that led to the tragic death of a 59-year-old man. Glasgow Prestwick Airport Limited pled guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation at Ayr Sheriff Court after Joseph Dempsey, an experienced member of the ground handling team, di

A domestic abuser who murdered his partner in the Scottish Borders has been jailed for life.  Corey Dryden killed mum-of-two Megan Hughes after violently assaulting her with weapons at their home in Chirnside, near Duns, on 9 February 2025.Instead of calling the emergency services to help Megan

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Andrew Pirie.  The 53-year-old Dunnottar man died after being struck with a two-metre-long section of tree trunk on June 25 2020. 

A doctor and her husband have been imprisoned for a total of 20 months after selling stolen hospital personal protective equipment (PPE) on eBay during the pandemic. Attiya Sheikh, 46, and her husband Omer, 48, both of Glasgow, used four accounts on the website to sell the items between May and Octo

A man caught on CCTV brutally assaulting and abusing a woman he met for a date has been jailed for nine years. Michael Harvey, from Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, was found guilty of attempted murder after footage from Glasgow city centre cameras captured him viciously attacking the woman. 

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry into the death of 47-year-old Brian Cathcart. Mr Cathcart died on 7 December 2021 within HMP Barlinnie.