Presumption Of Innocence

At long last Scotland will top the world’s rankings in something. Not football, sadly, writes Tony Lenehan KC, president of Faculty of Advocates Criminal Bar Association. With the publication of the Justice Committee’s report on Good Friday, we can look forward to a world in which o

Children who have not committed a crime are likely to be admitting guilt and accepting cautions just to avoid prosecution, a new report warns. Cautions are formal warnings from the police, and when accepted mean that the case against a defendant is not pursued in court. In order to receive a caution

Young people need additional support and protection in the criminal justice system because they are more susceptible to pleading guilty when innocent, a new study argues.   The study says differences in children’s brains, which affect their sensitivity to pressure and rewards, and di

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.

Defence solicitor Gordon Ritchie charts the decline of Scotland's justice system and respect for the rights of the accused. As I approach the 30th anniversary of my admission as a solicitor, and contemplate a retirement into the great unknown of pipe and slippers, I considered the changes in law and

Suspected sex offenders should remain anonymous until charged so long as they have a reputation to protect, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC has said. The new Lord Chancellor, who backed a campaign by Sir Cliff Richard and Paul Gambaccini to impose a ban on revealing the names of people arrested

Two men who were wrongfully convicted and served long sentences before being freed are taking their fight for compensation to the European Court of Human Rights, The Times reports. Sam Hallam, 31, and Victor Nealon, in his fifties, argue the law on compensation is incompatible with the right to a fr

UK government talks on how to deal with problems of evidence disclosure have excluded victims of miscarriages of justice, according to a campaigner. Liam Allan was on bail for two years after he was wrongly charged with rape and sexual assault, The Times reports.

The impact of budget cuts on the criminal justice system in England and Wales is set to be highlighted in cinemas across the UK in a new advert for The Secret Barrister's book. The anonymous lawyer's book, The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken, was reviewed in Scottish L