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Big Wullie · Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 486 Location: Glasgow

Mr Mulholland is not happy with criticism from MSPs

However he said "uninformed criticism and comment" by some lawyers and MSPs risked damaging public confidence.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland...rt-reforms-for.4278815.jp#2988635

Public confidence in a crumbling system ?

Crown have damaged it themselves with all their backtracking on issues like disclosure and FOI.

So sorry Mr Mulholland but you are part of a system that is in severe dire straights and in danger of crumbling beyond repair if all these core issues are not ironed out and fast.

Public confidence can only be restored in an Open, Transparent and accountable Crown Office.

Please sort it out fast.

Deal with the Disclosure issues and do not obstruct justice any longer by withholding information which exculpates accused people languishing in our prisons for years.

The old answer of: But it was disclosed to the defence at the original trial does not wash any longer.
If it was disclosed at the original trial then what is the problem of disclosing it to a new defence team years later ?

allan mcleod · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 79

Big Wullie,

Well said. - I totally agree with your comments which are spot on.

kevin donald · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 70

Wullie and Allan.

The Crown have pissed up big time on Disclosure we have them bang to rights with Dixon they knew from day one who was in the garden of Margaret Irvine's house.

POLICE, KEYSTONE COPS MORE LIKE.

DIRTY. UNDERHAND DEALING TO PROTECT THEIR MUPPETS ON THE STREETS.

why does the Crown want to go to the Privy Council hearings so bad?

PeterCherbi · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 136 Location: Edinburgh

Actually, in the past couple of days there has been what may appear to some a campaign on the part of the Crown Office to assert their position over any public doubts about how [in]competent they may be.

In a news story published today on BBC News, Solicitor General Frank Mulholland claims " both he and Scotland's top prosecutor, Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, had become concerned that "on-going uninformed criticism and comments runs a significant risk of damaging public confidence in the criminal justice system".

You can read the full article here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7500613.stm

Reading the story from my own viewpoint only seems to reinforce the fairly widely held belief in Scotland the Crown Office is not doing a good job of its task at hand, and the justice system is not dependable nor is it trustworthy.

Coming back to the theme of 'being seen to do the right thing' - repairing the woes of the justice system rather than attempting to undermine genuine and informed public debate on a woefully inadequate and untrustworthy system of justice might be the better way to go, I see however, the Crown Office have yet to make that 'leap of honesty', which for now seems beyond them.

However, and not to keep harping on about it - leadership does do a lot for a situation, as we all know ... and from what I can see and others have mentioned, we must surely all agree there is not much in the way of leadership being shown by the Justice Secretary in repairing our justice system.

Why is that ? Is there a reason the boat's rudder is jammed and we are going round in circles so to speak ?

When there appear stories such as this ;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7566875.stm
... where the Justice Secretary himself declares he has effectively no control over the Crown Office, in matter on which he certainly should ... I would diagnose a problem ...a problem for us all in that our justice system is simply not trustworthy at this time.

Politicians sticking their heads in the sand and avoiding debate on this is unacceptable, and something or someone will have to give way.
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My blog on issues of injustice in Scotland A Diary of Injustice in Scotland by Peter Cherbi

Injustice Scotland Campaign website : Injustice Scotland

Big Wullie · Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 486 Location: Glasgow

Hi Peter

I totally agree on the issues you raise, Kenny MacAskill should resign if he cannot deal with matters of Justice.

I also find the article highlights Pauline McNeill as saying:

Labour's justice spokeswoman, Pauline McNeill, said the justice system was not putting victims first.

She added: "Justice is simply not being served properly and defence lawyers are now speaking out with just cause.

Just Cause she said

But look what happened to AAmer Anwer when he spoke out, He is still under investigation i beleive by the Law Society

Pity she never spoke out on these issues when they were in power.

PeterCherbi · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 136 Location: Edinburgh

Hi Wullie

I think the problem lies in having a member of the legal profession in the post as Justice Secretary.

No member of the legal profession, or the legal system will speak out about its failures - if they do, what happened to Mr Anwar will happen to them - either that or as one person suggested on my blog, their friends in the legal world 'have too much on whoever is in office for them to speak out' - which could be one of several plausible explanations for why the justice system is allowed to run itself no matter who is in power.

I woudlnt give too much credence to Pauline McNeill's comments, just political theatre at most.

Mrs McNeill might have been better saying " the justice system itself is creating too many victims from injustice" - but we all know a member of the legal profession will never come out with that, although it is of course the truth.
_________________
My blog on issues of injustice in Scotland A Diary of Injustice in Scotland by Peter Cherbi

Injustice Scotland Campaign website : Injustice Scotland