Courts

Edinburgh High Court sign

High Court cases to double as Crown braces for 'significant' pressure

Russell Brand Sentencing: What has the comedian been found guilty of?

Lord Advocate Ruth Charteris is head of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland

Exclusive Crown faces cutting victim service and support for unsolved cases

Scotland's high courts are expecting an increased demand of cases

Exclusive SNP under pressure to boost funding for courts service amid case waits

Lisa Blair and her father, Alistair. Picture: Contributed

Family of farm worker hope for 'peace' after fatal accident inquiry

Justice Secretary Neil Gray has described a dedicated sexual offences court as ‘necessary’

Rape crisis charity calls for clarity over new sexual offences court

Late Argentine rugby international Federico Martin Aramburu's widow, Maria Aramburu (L) leaves the Assize Court, France's criminal court, after a hearing in the trial of two far-right activists over the 2022 Aramburu's killing in Paris.

Two men jailed for murder of ex-Glasgow Warriors player

Alex Salmond

SNP ministers clash in court with FOI watchdog over Salmond files

Edinburgh Sheriff Court is perhaps an unlikely place to spend your retirement voluntarily (Picture: Duncan McGlynn)

How pensioners are making a real difference at Edinburgh Sheriff Court Karyn McCluskey

The Scottish government is proposing a number of justice reforms

Prison sentences of under 12 months should be abolished, says quango

Jagtar Singh Johal

Scot detained in India Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail, says family

Scotland's judiciary have criticised the Scottish government's plans for automatic early release of prisoners

Scotland's judges issue warning over SNP's early prisoner release plan

Claire Kellerman (l) with her late aunt and adoptive mother, Sally. Picture: Getty Images

Exclusive Peer resigns from law centre over island dog snub row

The SNP government has pledged to implement a promised sexual offences court

Exclusive SNP ministers fail to find funding for flagship sexual offences court

A prison guard at HMP Barlinnie. The Scottish Government is seeking to reduce the prison population, which has reached a record high in recent months, by the use of more community-based sentences.

Exclusive Do not limit Scottish courts ability to jail, top lawyers warn

The Ministry of Defence has paid out nearly £2.5m in compensation. Picture: PA

Abuse victims of air cadet leader secure nearly £2.5m in compensation

Claire Kellerman with her mother Sally

Exclusive Charity hit by dog row legal action opens fundraiser to 'save' centre

Victims and witness involved in serious court cases will have to wait longer for cases to conclude, it has been warned. Picture: PA

Longer delays for justice without 'significant' reform

The High Court will sit at 14 venues as of January 2027. Picture: PA

Increase in High Courts to tackle spike in trials

Aaron Strachan stalked his victim through Edinburgh city centre before attacking her in May 2025.

Man who violently raped teenage girl 'may never be released'

The wreckage of the Chinook Helicopter which crashed on the Mull of Kintyre killing all 29 on board

Chinook families urge Burnham to launch new review into 1994 tragedy

A local pub was cordoned off amid the incident

Man charged in connection with death of 44-year-old Edinburgh woman

Nicolson was sentenced on Friday

Scots fishing boat captain treated foreign crew workers ‘like slaves’

The Scottish government faces calls to overhaul the council tax system

Calls for council tax reform as thousands of Scots in debt

Nicola Sturgeon and her now estranged husband Peter Murrell arrive for the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, London, during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II in 2022

Up to courts if Sturgeon has to give back Murrell gifts, Swinney says

Sitka spruce is the most common conifer in Scotland

Scottish Forestry taken to court again over environmental concerns

Parliament Square in Edinburgh

Explainer What Scotland's political parties have planned for law and order

Ross Davidson

Ex-Spandau Ballet singer jailed for rapes and sexual assaults

Real tennis is the historic forerunner of the modern sport, and is still played on courts around the world to this day. Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty

Exclusive Last surviving real tennis court of its kind in Scotland under threat

'King Atehene' and 'Queen Nandi' with handmaiden 'Asnat' of the self-styled "African tribe", Kingdom of Kubala.

Explainer Kingdom of Kubala: Timeline of the African tribe evicted from Borders

Director James McAvoy on the set of California Schemin'.

Exclusive California Schemin' producer in legal row 'financed film alone'

Todrig farm from the air

Rare butterfly not considered by Scottish Forestry in 'unlawful' move

There are reports of a man with a bladed weapon in the Calder area of Edinburgh

Man charged with attempted murder after alleged stabbing in Edinburgh

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

What's inside the Salmond files? Salmond's 'floodgates' warning

Timing of Murrell hearing is matter for the courts says Swinney

Police officers on the beat

Shoplifting in Scotland has increased 129% since 2021

The Scottish Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission called for a “rethink” of the current approach to sentencing and imprisonment. Picture: Ian Waldie/Getty

Criminals cannot 'dodge jail' after call for sentencing rethink

The uplift in legal aid fees is set to come into force this September. Picture: PA

Scottish solicitors welcome legal aid fee uplift

The Marinera oil tanker

US to remove captain of oil tanker off Scottish coast 'imminently'

Legal action against SNP for failing to release 'Salmond files'

Former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond.

Swinney attacked for withholding 'Salmond files'

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC

Chief prosecutor reassures victims of sex abuse after Court judgment

The Supreme Court said Scottish courts should ‘modify’ their approach to the admission of evidence in sexual offence trials. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Use of rape shield laws may risk right to fair trials, court warns

The British coat of arms on the outside of the Supreme Court in central London.

Supreme Court rules sex trial evidence rules could breach human rights

The emergency prisoner release scheme is a way of addressing Scotland’s prison population crisis, but experts warn it is not a sustainable solution. Picture: PA

Calls for systemic reform in wake of latest emergency prisoner release

Over the course of 45 years, a UK deportation decision has been found to violate human rights in only 13 cases at the European Court of Human Rights (Picture: Frederick Florin)

Chicken nuggets deportation myth shows dangers of fake news about ECHR Professor Paul Arnell

Prison officers have hit out at the chronic overcrowding in Scotland’s prisons.

'Crisis point' in Scotland's prisons has already been reached

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Scotland has failed to meet its latest target for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the latest official figures show. Picture: John Giles/PA Wire

Fail: Scotland misses climate target

Pro-independence protesters with Scottish Saltire flags (top) march for Scottish independence. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

Yousaf: Growing popular support for Yes the only way to Scottish independence

Nadine Dorries. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

SNP MP cleared of bullying Nadine Dorries