Catch up with the latest news.
Stamping out domestic violence
A dedicated domestic abuse court has been established in Edinburgh to provide further support for victims of domestic abuse and bring offenders to court quickly.The pilot court will initially deal with cases from south and east police divisions with the intention of rolling out to other divisions. Justice Secretary Kenny… Read more ...Campaign against government’s Justice and Security Green Paper
The human rights group Liberty has launched a campaign, ‘For Their Eyes Only,’ against the Government’s Justice and Security Green Paper. Liberty reports that the Green Paper contains proposals which would allow future ministers to shut out the press, public and bereaved families from any court case where it is… Read more ...Bail conditions and judicial discretion
The Criminal Appeal Court has struck down a provision in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 that removes judicial discretion in the imposition of a particular bail condition. According to the Court, the provision is in breach of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR… Read more ...Airport security
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has welcomed the positive measures taken by Glasgow Airport police to address concerns about the use of Schedule 7 powers.It follows his visit to see the police operation at the airport and the launch of a new community engagement group in the wake of public meetings… Read more ...Prison Visiting Committees
The Scottish Human Rights Commission has welcomed the debate in the Scottish Parliament on Prison Visiting Committees.The Scottish Human Rights Commission is the National Human Rights Institution for Scotland and is part of the National Preventative Mechanism (NPM) under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT). The UK… Read more ...Stronger controls needed for undercover deployments
Undercover officers deployed into protest communities gathered intelligence which enabled the police to prevent acts of serious violence; but there was serious intrusion into the lives of others, and this risk needs to be better managed in future, a report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has found.HMIC… Read more ...Factsheets on defendants’ rights
The European Commission has made available to the public, on the European e-Justice portal, national factsheets on the rights of defendants in all 27 Member States of the EU. The European Commission’s e-Justice portal aims at facilitating access to justice by citizens and businesses across Europe. It is also aimed… Read more ...Murder case to be reinvestigated under Double Jeopardy legislation
The Crown Office has announced that it is to review the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar, who was killed in 1998. Strathclyde Police have now been instructed to carry out further investigation into his murder under the Double Jeopardy legislation introduced in November last year.The Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act 2011… Read more ...Concerns at moves to block accession to Human Rights Convention
Representatives of the the Parliamentary Assembly of the 47-nation Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament have urged national governments – notably the UK and France – not to stand in the way of the EU signing up to the European Convention on Human Rights.Kerstin Lundgren (Sweden, ALDE), PACE… Read more ...More From Our News Archive
- Beltrami & Co.'s Client Found Not Guilty of Murder Charge
- Sharp Increase in Penalty Notices and Automated Detection
- ECHR judgments relating to UK government
- Indictment & Citation Scotland
- The Hillsborough Report: Legal Implications
- DOMESTIC ABUSE NOW INCLUDES ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL
- Consultation over Development of Sentencing Guidelines
- Calls for Crack-Down on Driving Offences but Softer Approach on Drugs
