24/7 Legal Advice
Dunfermline 01383 730 466
Kirkcaldy 01592 640 680

Martin, Johnston & Socha Insights

Criminal Law news & updates from Martin, Johnstone & Socha's expert criminal defence solicitors.

One in Six Women Drivers Admit to Drink Driving

One in six (17%) female motorists thought they might have driven whilst over the legal limit in the past year, according to new research from Direct Line Car Insurance and Rees Jeffreys Road Fund.

Continue reading
  1855 Hits
1855 Hits

Man Claims Miscarriage of Justice After Two Staged Accidents To Murder Wives

Malcolm Webster, who murdered his first wife by staging a car accident and attempted to murder his second wife in the same way, is further appealing his life sentence claiming that he is the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Continue reading
  2008 Hits
2008 Hits

Glasgow Sheriff Court Struggles with Number of Domestic Abuse Cases

Glasgow Sheriff Court is under strain from the sheer number of domestic abuse cases coming through the courts. The ‘busiest court in Europe’ currently has a backlog of 1300 domestic abuse cases, with victims waiting up to 19 weeks to have their case heard. The Scottish Court Service however, belives this to be an improvement – it was previously 22 weeks.Domestic abuse cases currently represent around 25 percent of all summary cases coming through the court an din order to relieve the mounting number of cases, additional ‘daily trial courts’ will be held by senior prosecutors next month. 

Continue reading
  2783 Hits
2783 Hits

Pilot Project of Clare’s Law to be Introduced in Aberdeen and Ayrshire

The law which will allow police to disclose details as to whether an individual has a history of violence known as “Clare’s Law’ is to be introduced in Aberdeen and Ayrshire.

Continue reading
  1847 Hits
1847 Hits

Scottish Drivers Committing More Than 40 Serious Offences Per Day

New figures reveal Scottish motorists are suspected of committing 40 or more serious road traffic offences each day.

Continue reading
  1827 Hits
1827 Hits

Andy Coulsoun to Face Perjury Charges

Former editor of the News of the World, Andy Coulson has formally been charged with three counts of perjury at a hearing in the High Court in Glasgow.

Continue reading
  1977 Hits
1977 Hits

Police Look for "Cinderella" Thief

Police in County Durham  are currently searching for a man who left a fairytale calling card  on Sunday night after attempting to steal cider from a local shop.

Continue reading
  2044 Hits
2044 Hits

Police Scotland Stop and Search Rates Almost Nine Times Higher Than NYPD

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) have discovered that the rate of searches carried out by Police Scotland, per 10,000 people is nearly nine times higher than that carried out in in the New York Police Department (NYPD) 

Continue reading
  10419 Hits
10419 Hits

Law Society of Scotland Raises Concern over Rushed Data Bill

Emergency legislation  which allows telecoms companies to retain customer information to be passed at Westminster raises substantial concerns, the Law Society of Scotland has said.

Continue reading
  1779 Hits
1779 Hits

New Sheriffs Appointed

Six new sheriffs have been appointed across Scotland.

Continue reading
  4231 Hits
4231 Hits

Crime Trends in Scotland Published

Police Scotland have published information detailing the numbers of crimes committed in different areas of Scotland.

The information, gathered from policing management data systems, is not official recorded crime statistics but indicates that:

Continue reading
  2282 Hits
2282 Hits

Rise in Reporting of Sexual Crime

There has been an increase in the number of sexual crimes, including rape, reported to the police, according to a recent report from Police Scotland.

Continue reading
  1897 Hits
1897 Hits

Hate Crime in Scotland

A recent report from the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service has revealed the number of hate crimes that took place in Scotland in 2013-14.

Continue reading
  2007 Hits
2007 Hits

Cracking Down on Organised Crime

Perpetrators of serious and organised crime are to be hit harder and faster in the pocket under plans recently unveiled by the UK and Scottish Governments.

Continue reading
  1938 Hits
1938 Hits

Police Launch Annual Drink Drive Campaign

The 2014 Summer Drink Drive campaign has been launched by Police Scotland and the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, supported by Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland.

Continue reading
  1925 Hits
1925 Hits

Speeding Drivers Caught on Camera

A freedom of information request submitted to the police from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has revealed that a motorist traveling at 149mph on the M25 at Swanley holds the record for the highest speed clocked by a speed camera in England and Wales between April 2013 and May 2014. 

Continue reading
  1959 Hits
1959 Hits

Tightening Access to Air Weapons

New legislation to tighten access to air weapons in Scotland has been announced by the Scottish Government. It is estimated that there are currently around half a million unlicensed air weapons in the country.

Continue reading
  1872 Hits
1872 Hits

Charity Focuses on Drink and Drug Driving

Road safety charity Brake has recently turned its attention to the issue of at-work drink and drug driving, after a recent survey found that fewer than half (44%) of employers would dismiss an employee for driving over the legal alcohol limit.

Continue reading
  1917 Hits
1917 Hits

Tougher sentences for banned drivers

Longer jail sentences for drivers who cause death or serious injury on the roads when they've been banned from driving are to be introduced by the UK Government.

Continue reading
  2214 Hits
2214 Hits

Steep rise in fraud attempts for financial services products

There has been a significant rise in detected and prevented fraud attempts in the second half of 2013, as financial services providers push forward in the fight against credit application fraud.

Continue reading
  2377 Hits
2377 Hits

Need Legal Advice?
Call now

Dunfermline 01383 730 466
Kirkcaldy 01592 640 680
LINES ARE OPEN 24/7

What do Martin Johnston & Socha have to offer you?

  • Specialists in criminal defence law
  • Registered to give legal aid
  • 24 hour contact, 7 days a week
  • One point of contact throughout case
  • Solicitor advocates available
  • Free initial consultation
  • Client focussed service