The creation of a court dedicated to sexual offences in Scotland is currently under review, judge Lord Matthews has announced.

The number of recorded violent crimes has risen by 10 per cent, according to new figures from Police Scotland. The force said it detected 4,817 more offences in 2018-19 compared to 2017-18; the equivalent of 90 extra crimes a week.

At the High Court in Glasgow last Friday, Lord Matthews sentenced 16-year-old Aaron Campbell to detention without limit of time, with a minimum term of 27 years, after he was found guilty of the abduction, rape and murder of Alesha MacPhail.

Sentencing guidelines must be reviewed as a “matter of urgency” after a teenager who repeatedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl walked free from court, Scottish Labour has announced.

The former first minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and two counts of attempted rape.