Sexual Offences

Sexual crimes were seven per cent higher compared to the year ending September 2024 (increasing from 14,651 to 15,704 crimes), and 12 per cent higher compared to the year ending September 2021 (increasing from 14,052 to 15,704 crimes), new figures from Scotland’s chief statistician show. In th

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the practice of the Scottish courts since 2013 in relation to the admission of evidence in trials for sexual offences is liable to infringe defendants’ rights under Article 6 ECHR but dismissed two appeals on that basis presented to the court after finding t

A landmark UK Supreme Court judgment handed down this morning will lead to a significant change in how Scottish courts handle certain types of evidence in sexual offence cases. The Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates had both intervened in the case, relating to two men convicted of

Independent legal representation for complainers in sexual offences cases should be delivered by dedicated salaried lawyers instead of by private practitioners, a report has recommended. The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill proposes to introduce a system of independent legal re

The Sheriff Appeal Court has quashed a fine imposed on a student who pled guilty to sexually assaulting two women at an Edinburgh nightclub after finding that it was more appropriate in the circumstances to impose a community payback order with a supervision requirement. Appellant MD, who was aged 1

A student who raped a friend after she refused to have sex with him at his flat has lost a High Court appeal against his conviction based on an argument that his representation at trial was defective. Oluwatayo Dada was convicted at Inverness High Court of one charge of sexual assault and another of

A pilot granting access to free transcripts for complainers in High Court sexual offence cases has been extended for 12 months.  Justice Secretary Angela Constance confirmed the extension of the pilot to March 2025 in a letter to Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee.

New facilities providing healthcare for people who have experienced sexual assault or rape, and a service for children and young people who have experienced harm and abuse, have been opened. The Sycamore Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS) for adults in NHS Lothian was officially op

A former prisoner at HMP Edinburgh jailed for raping his teenage daughter and her friend has lost a legal challenge against five of the conditions imposed on his automatic release on licence. Petitioner AB was jailed for 12 years for two charges of rape at common law and two charges of lewd, indecen

The High Court of Justiciary has extended the custodial sentence of a man convicted of forcefully raping three previous partners after an appeal against the leniency of his original sentence by the Crown.  Respondent RM was convicted of three charges of rape against three complainers, each of w

The Sexual Offences Review has published its webpage and terms of reference to give information to the public and professionals about its work on reviewing how the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) deals with reports of sexual offences. The review was commissioned by Lord Advocate

Two Scottish universities have begun paying settlements to students who were sexually abused by a disgraced academic. Strathclyde University and Heriot-Watt University have paid five-figure sums to at least two victims of professor Kevin O'Gorman, with payouts expected to total hundreds of thousands

A rapist who beat and tortured several partners has been jailed indefinitely after posthumous testimony from two victims. Unemployed Alexander Thomson, 42, of Broxburn, West Lothian, was made the subject of an order for lifelong restriction at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday.

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

Scotland's new justice secretary has said he will not shy away from reforms that would raise the conviction rate in sex cases. Keith Brown said controversial plans for specialist sex crime courts without juries and the abolition of the not proven verdict, whose existence enables more acquittals acco