News

A man who was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault in an ‘omnibus’ charge has had his sentence reduced from two years to eight months after appealing against his conviction. The appellant, Piotr Rysmanowski, argued only one of the three episodes was corroborated and questioned how the jury was directed on what ‘mutual corroboration’

The number of homicides across Scotland has fallen by 20 cases (25 per cent) since 2009/10. There were 61 victims of homicide recorded in 2018/19; two victims (or three per cent) more than the 59 recorded the previous year. Following the 59 cases in both 2015/16 and 2017/18, this is the third-lowest number of recorded cases

A bus driver has successfully appealed his conviction after he was charged with dangerous driving because he ‘failed to leave a sufficient gap’ when driving past a parked van and pedestrian. At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, Charles Alexander Henderson was convicted of a dangerous driving charge when it was ruled he drove ‘far too close’ to pedestrian

A severely disabled man who was found guilty of sexual crimes against children and sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment has successfully appealed against a sheriff’s decision to impose a custodial sentence. The appellant ‘RC’ was born with spina bifida, has never had any sensation or movement below the waist and uses a wheelchair. RC claimed

The creation of a court dedicated to sexual offences in Scotland is currently under review, judge Lord Matthews has announced. Led by Scotland’s second most senior judge, Lady Dorrian, the review group will look at how the country deals with rape and violent sexual crimes. According to a spokesperson for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal