Senior police “embarrassed government” on human rights pledge

By Paul Thornton

SENIOR police officers ignored a Scottish Government pledge to Europe to allow suspects access to legal representation during interviews for over four years, it can be revealed.

The Scottish legal community has been rocked by a shift in policy by the Crown Office over solicitor access to people being interviewed by police.

Prosecutors told forces that they must allow access to legal advice when suspects request it – a U-turn on the previous practice, last month.

It is thought the move came amid fears that a panel of seven judges at the UK Supreme Court is set to rule that denying access is in breach of human rights laws.

But documents released under freedom of information rules reveal that the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) issued guidance going completely against a government pledge to Brussels to allow access, made in 2005.

No appeal by Crown over child death

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

THE CROWN has decided not appeal the ten-year sentence handed down to the killer of Dundee toddler Brandon Muir.

Robert Cunningham was found guilty of culpable homicide of the two-year old toddler at the High Court in Glasgow in March.

He was given the sentence by temporary judge John Morris QC which in effect could mean Cunningham walking the streets in just four years.

The judgement sparked outrage among members of Brandon’s family and child welfare campaigners, with one calling the Scottish justice system “a laughing stock”.

The Crown had initially indicated it would appeal the sentence if it felt it was too lenient, but on Tuesday they issued a statement ruling that course of action out.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “Following full and careful consideration as to whether an appeal should be lodged in this case, Crown Counsel reached a decision that the sentence imposed was within the range available to the judge in the exercise of his discretion and that any appeal would therefore not succeed.”