Juries

1-15 of 27 Articles
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Dear Editor, In his opinion piece on the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, published yesterday, Douglas Cusine states that there is no evidence for the assertion that jurors rely on so-called “rape myths” that does not come from mock trials. This is not the first ti

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Researchers have found that defendants who don’t “swear by Almighty God” when in court run a higher risk of being found guilty by jurors who themselves swear by God. In countries such as Britain and Ireland court witnesses must declare they will provide truthful evidence, but those

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The case for abolishing juries in sexual offence trials in Scotland "has not yet been proven", The Times has said. In an editorial published today, the newspaper said the right to trial by jury "has for centuries been the foundation of Scotland's criminal justice system", but that consensus "is now

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The Law Society of Scotland has raised serious concerns about a possible move to judge-only sexual offence trials in Scottish courts, and the creation of additional courts outside the existing judicial structure. The proposals are among a number contained in a Scottish government consultation paper

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A consultation on "improving victims’ experiences of the justice system", with a particular focus on sexual offences, has opened. It takes forward the work of the Victims Taskforce and Programme for government commitments to: establish a Victims’ Commissioner, introduce a statutory right

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Plans to exclude juries from rape trials have been rubbished by the Faculty of Advocates. In a submission to Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee, the Faculty states that many within the legal profession had been accused of being conspiracy theorists when they suggested last year that there was "a

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A renewed attack on trial by jury in Scotland has been met with scorn from lawyers. A "cross-justice" group led by the Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, has proposed a pilot of juryless rape trials in what represents the latest attempt to remove juries from sexual offences cases.

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Sheriff and jury trials in Scotland restarted this week and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has published a series of advisory videos for jurors, witnesses and professionals participating in trials operating at remote jury centres.

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David Lorimer takes a look at the acquittal rate in last year's Scottish Mock Jury Trials and the 'Hollywood Effect'. The lighter side of remote trials being heard by juries in cinemas is already doing the rounds: ‘...selling tickets could reduce court costs...ice cream and sweeties could live

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Juries in High Court trials in Scotland will convene in cinemas to hear cases remotely in the autumn. The Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway, has approved the recommendation from the Restarting Solemn Trials Working Group to create remote jury centres in cinemas.

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Even by the standards of today’s enfeebled and anaemic media, the lack of coverage of the death of Clive Ponting who passed away last week at his home in Kelso is remarkable. It is also lamentable. Ponting was a young, high-flying civil servant who could not live with the lie Margaret Thatcher

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Brian McConnachie QC has reflected on the success of the first trial since lockdown in Glasgow, saying we must "ensure that trial by jury survives the pandemic as it survived [the] World Wars". Mr McConnachie tweeted that while it was "odd at first to see an empty jury box" it quickly became "incons

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The first jury trial in Scotland since lockdown ran smoothly this week and made use of digital technology to support a remote jury. The case held at the High Court in Edinburgh followed a new format adhering to physical distancing guidelines and returned a verdict of not proven.

1-15 of 27 Articles