‘Magic Circle’ of Scottish Judges & rent boys : Scandal Solicitor David Blair Wilson is convicted of attempted smuggling of drugs & mobile phones into Saughton jail

Solicitor David Blair Wilson pictured outside court. DAVID BLAIR WILSON, a crooked solicitor well known for his part in the Magic Circle affair which exposed a sex-for-justice scandal involving liaisons between rent boys and members of Scotland’s judiciary & Crown Office, has been convicted of attempting to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into Saughton Prison during October 2011.

Blair Wilson was found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh after a six day jury trial which heard the solicitor attempt to blame a younger male friend, identified as Steven Douglas who Blair Wilson told the jury was a drug dealer and who regarded Blair Wilson as a “surrogate dad”.

The trial judge, Lord Burns, granted bail to Blair Wilson until he is sentenced next month.

Sex for justice scandal involved Scottish Judges & male hookers, forced resignation of Lord Dervaird while others escaped. Scottish Law Reporter has featured coverage of the Magic Circle in earlier article HERE and also featured a report on the former Lord Advocate now Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC (born McPhilomy) key role in what was known at the time as Operation Planet, the drive to catch crooked judges & prosecutors who were swapping boys for favours in Scottish Courts, HERE

Lord Nimmo Smith QC’s REPORT ON MAGIC CIRCLE GAY JUSTICE SCANDAL, widely regarded by many as a whitewash of the corruption in the Scottish judiciary, identifies Dame Elish Angiolini who worked at the Crown Office at the time as a Senior Legal Assistant, under her maiden mane of Elish McPhilomy. It was clear from subsequent discussions, the report played a heavy part in formulating Crown Office policy on the prosecution of judges, lawyers & other members of the legal profession who were engaging in the illegal sex acts with other men & under age boys.

The Daily Mail newspaper has reported on David Blair Wilson’s conviction :

Lawyer tried to take drugs and phones into jail

'Magic Circle' solicitor's career over

By Brian Horne and Jim McBeth

A CROOKED lawyer with a colourful past has been convicted of trying to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into a prison.

David Blair Wilson was found guilty yesterday at the High Court in Edinburgh after a six-day trial.

The court heard the Dunfermline -based lawyer turned up at Saughton Prison, Edin­burgh, in October 2011 to see Lee Brown, 35, who was serving 18 years for attempted murder and other offences.

Prison officer Graham Robertson checked the lawyer's ID and told him to pass his 'bulging' folder through a scanner.

Mr Robertson told the court: 'His body language changed. He became anxious-looking (and), began to fidget.'                  

Blair Wilson, 55, left and went back to his car taut when he returned the file was 'noticeably thinner'. A search of his vehicle by Lothian and Borders Police found the contraband under a seat.

Blair Wilson, who was disciplined by the Law Society ten years ago for being derelict in his duties as a solicitor, claimed it belonged to a drug-dealing friend, Steven Doug­las, and alleged Douglas had used the car the previous evening.

The lawyer said that Douglas, who failed to appear to give evidence, regarded him as a 'surro­gate dad'. He claimed Douglas had lost a valuable packet of heroin belonging to 'heavies' and had been threatened with death.

Blair Wilson said the contraband, worth nearly £3,000 behind bars, had nothing to do with him but admitted it was allegedly to be given to Lee Brown in the hope he would negotiate with the drug dealers on behalf of Douglas.

However, the jury convicted the lawyer by a majority of trying to smuggle three phones and three SIM cards into the jail.

He was also convicted of supply­ing cannabis resin, diazepam and body-building drugs.

The lawyer, whose 30-year career was in tatters last night, is no stranger to controversy.

In the 1980s, he played a key role in the 'Magic Circle' affair - rumours there was a clique of high-ranking homosexuals in the legal profes­sion and that 'gay blackmail' had played a part in high-profile trials. Blair Wilson was the solicitor for fellow lawyer Colin Tucker, cleared of embezzling £50,000 from clients.

Tucker confessed to taking money but said he had been made to do it by a 'boss' who 'had a hold over him because he was gay'.

He is said to have provided his defence team with a list of highly-placed gays in the profession which 'proved' the blackmail claims.

An independent inquiry, headed by Lord Nimmo Smith, concluded 'there was no conspiracy'.

Blair Wilson will be sentenced next month.

Edinburgh : Corrupt ‘Athens of the north’ as 15 charged over money laundering & corruption at Edinburgh City Council

LOTHIAN & BORDERS POLICE have announced four former Council employees and 11 contractors have been charged over corruption & other illegal activity at the City of Edinburgh Council’s property services, ranging from money laundering to fraud. The arrests may also be related to the Statutory Repair Notice investigation, which takes in repair notices forced on Edinburgh residents who were forced by the Council to pay for building repair notices served by allegedly corrupt Council officials who are said to have benefited financially from the scam.

Furthermore, the arrests, reported in the Scottish media are said to be the tip of the iceberg, with insiders branding the City Council as “totally corrupt”, leading to questions over why nothing was done earlier about the seemingly long term evidence of corruption.

Daily Record newspaper reports :

Edinburgh Council corruption charges just the 'tip of the iceberg', say insiders

Jun 29 2012 By Jack Mathieson

POLICE probing allegations of corruption among council staff and building contractors are expected to make more arrests.

Insiders say the 15 people charged earlier this week in the investigation into repair programmes in Edinburgh are the “tip of the iceberg”.

Four former employees of the city’s property care department have been charged with corruption and fraud.

A further 11, including contractors and family and friends of council workers, were charged with fraud, corruption and money laundering, believed to relate to attempts to conceal payments.

Police are preparing a report for the procurator fiscal on the property care department, which handles maintenance of community buildings and schools.

But a separate report on the statutory notices system, which allows the council to order repairs to private homes, is already with the fiscal, although no charges have yet been brought.

This scheme has been plagued by allegations of bribery, overcharging and unnecessary and poor-quality work.

Our sources said some contractors were involved in both lines of work but the complex statutory notice system meant collusion between staff and contractors was harder to prove.

An insider said: “It was looking into the statutory notices scheme that led them to what was going on with property care staff.”

Former councillor Ewan Aitken campaigned for a full investigation into the repair work. He said: “I do not believe this will be the end of the arrests and I hope they negate the damage to the city’s reputation.”

The Herald newspaper reports :

15 charged over repairs scandal

Published on 28 June 2012

Jody Harrison

FOUR former council employees and 11 contractors have been charged by police investigating corruption claims at a Scottish local authority.

The arrests were made by officers from Lothian and Borders police looking into alleged illegal activity at the City of Edinburgh Council's property services.

The former council workers are all men, aged between 42 and 62, who worked at the Property Care Department. The other nine men and two women are aged between 30 and 64. All have been charged in connection with corruption, fraud and money laundering offences.

All 15 arrests were made in connection with a wider police inquiry into the council's property services department, but are not linked to the Statutory Repair Notice investigation.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "Our investigation into alleged corruption and fraud involving former employees of City of Edinburgh Council's Property Care Department has resulted in a number of individuals being charged.

"The four former employees have been charged with alleged corruption and fraud with regard to repairs carried out at council buildings in Edinburgh. As part of the same enquiry, nine men and two women have been charged with alleged fraud, corruption and money laundering offences."

Edinburgh councillor Ewan Aitken said: "I believe this is the first of many arrests. Anyone who has conducted fraud against the people of Edinburgh should be brought to justice."

A police report has also been submitted to the procurator-fiscal following an investigation into the operation of the Statutory Repair Notice Scheme, but no charges have been brought.

The department has been accused of overcharging for repairs. At least four employees have left their posts.

More than 500 complaints have been received and it has been reported the council could face a bill of £13.5 million to correct matters.

The allegations stem from the fact the property conservation department often issues statutory notices for buildings that need work done to make them safe, arranges the job through contractors, then recoups the cash from owners .

The council charges homeowners 15% on top of the repair bill to cover surveys and administrative expenses – but many have claimed their bills have been vastly inflated.

Libdem Councillor in ‘dropped charges of kerb crawling for prostitutes case’ is new Chair of Standards at £262M in-debt Scottish Borders Council

SNP led coalition includes Councillor once charged with kerb crawling, now in charge of ‘standards’. AS THE COALITION of Scottish National Party (SNP), LibDem & Independent councillors take positions in the new administration at the £262 Million-in-debt Scottish Borders Council, it has emerged a LibDem Councillor, Alec Nicol who was once charged by Police for kerb crawling for prostitutes in Edinburgh’s Salamander Street has been given the role of Chairman of Standards at the beleaguered south of Scotland local authority which has been under a scandal & corruption mired control of a Condem coalition for a significant number of years.

Councillor Alec Nicol of Scottish Borders Council The kerb crawling charges against Mr Nicol, reported by Scottish Law Reporter HERE, were later dropped by Scotland’s Crown Office despite protests from senior officers in Lothian & Borders Police who concluded the case should have gone to trial. Prosecutors refused to give any explanation to Police or the media why they had dropped the charges against Mr Nicol.

Scottish Borders Council recently featured in several articles reported by SLR, HERE. It was also revealed late last week the Council’s Chief Executive, Tracey Logan had been off sick for a number of months but has since been confirmed as returning to work after questions were asked of her absence in a Freedom of Information request, all reported by SLR HERE

A Press Release issued by Scottish Borders Council reports the new appointments to the SNP-Libdem-Independent run Council :

Council appointments made

Published on Thursday 17th May 2012

Appointments were made at statutory meeting of the new Council.

All 34 elected members were present in the Council Chamber at Newtown St Boswells today for the statutory meeting of Scottish Borders Council. Certain appointments were made.

They are as follows:

Convenor - Councillor Graham Garvie
Vice Convenor - Councillor Jim Brown
Leader of the Council - Councillor David Parker
Depute Leader - Councillor John Mitchell
Chairman of Scrutiny - Councillor Gavin Logan
Vice Chairman of Scrutiny - Councillor Jim Torrance
Chairman of Standards - Councillor Alec Nicol
Chairman of Planning and Building Standards Committee - Councillor Ron Smith
Vice Chairman of Planning and Building Standards Committee - Councillor Nicholas Watson

The next meeting of the Council will take place on Thursday 24 May at 10am.

£262 MILLION POUND DEBT MOUNTAIN AT SCOTTISH BORDERS COUNCIL :

While the Council fights to maintain the secrecy over Mr Hume’s departure and a rumoured significant financial payoff, Scotland’s Finance Secretary John Swinney heaped more pressure on SBC by revealing to Holyrood the true extent of Scottish Borders Council’s debt situation, now standing at a staggering TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO MILLION POUNDS,

Figures revealed by Mr Swinney in a written answer to Tory MSP, Margaret Scanlon revealed the debt situation at Scottish Borders Council had nearly DOUBLED in the past five years of Conservative-LibDem control, from a figure of £166,489 million in 2007 to a whopping £262,551m as of last year.

Mr Swinney also revealed Scottish Borders Council are forking out over TWELVE MILLION POUNDS A YEAR for interest on debts such as assets acquired under Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) or similar arrangements, a figure which has leapt from £9,090 million in 2007 to £12,273 million as of 2011.

Local campaigners in the Scottish Borders have criticised the scale of the problems at Scottish Borders Council and the apparent lack of any leadership or desire by the former Tory-Libdem coalition to stop the ever rising mountain of debt at Scottish Borders Council, which now equates to a sum of £2,403 & rising for every person living in the Scottish Borders as of this date.

Scots 'Child Porn Oil Executive' turned informer to escape prison, claims emerge file sharing list contains lawyers & others yet to be arrested

THE Scottish justice system seems to have continuing difficulty in dealing with paedophiles, even the ones who are actually convicted, according to anti abuse campaigners today after it was reported in the media yet another convicted paedophile file sharer pervert Liam Gibson of Kilbucho, Biggar, Scotland, who also happens to be an Oil Company Executive, owning Gibson Marine Ltd based in Pathead, Scotland, has escaped a prison term, after he turned informer and, it was claimed some of the evidence gathered in the investigation into his online file sharing activities has revealed a string of contacts including members of the legal profession, possibly a judge or two, and other paedophiles inside the UK and abroad who have yet to be arrested for their crimes.

Lothian & Borders Police, who raided Gibson’s home found after an investigation , he was in possession of 50,000 images of child pornography and thousands of abuse movie clips. However, the courtroom was to prove the saving ticket for Gibson, who pled guilty to the charges, and fearing jail, turned informant. Doing his best to avoid a prison term, Gibson also told Police he had been abused as a child and was attracted to young children although as this was not enough to convince a blank wall, Gibson also ‘turned informant on others’ in a bid to avoid jail.

Mr Gibson had the ex Labour msp Gordon Jackson, QC, defending him in court. Mr Jackson, who once claimed £50,000 for slipping on ice in Edinburgh and lost, told the court of his now convicted client, saying : “He has fully co-operated with the police and with the Crown. We know that the police are content with his level of co-operation and with what he has told them. They have found the information to be helpful. We do not know whether there have been arrests in somewhere like Sheffield as a consequence of what he has told them – that is secret, confidential information. But what I can say is that his information has greatly assisted them.”

Among other excuses statements in defence proffered to the court by defence counsel was the long career of Mr Gibson in the Merchant Navy, the fact his wife had left him, and that “He is thought to be one of the world’s best in a highly specialised sector. He is a world renowned expert.”

Mr Jackson said the police recognised that Gibson had fully co-operated and provided them with information that helped their inquiries. However, neither the procurator fiscal nor Mr Jackson disclosed exactly what Gibson had told detectives.

Sheriff Scott said Mr Jackson had persuaded him not to send Gibson to prison.

Almost unbelievably, Gibson got probation instead of a jail term which was expected in the case. Sheriff John Scott who handed down the sentence of a probation order for THREE YEARS and 150 hours community service, warned Gibson that he risked going to prison if he accessed similar pictures again.

The Sheriff said: "I am persuaded that the most appropriate way to deal with this is to impose a probation order. The probation order for a period of three years. You will also perform 150 hours of unpaid work in the community."

Children’s charities criticised the sentence. Donald Findlater, a spokesman on sexual abuse at child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said: “It is somewhat surprising that a prison sentence did not happen here, but each case is based on an individual set of circumstances and the individual’s future behaviour. It’s important the sentence doesn’t send a message to other offenders or, indeed victims, that this stuff doesn’t matter – it most seriously does matter and we need to make sure the courts pay attention to that.”

Kate Smith, Children 1st’s director of communications, said: “Downloading child pornography is not a victimless crime. Behind every image there is a real child who has suffered in the making of that image. We know how difficult it is for children who have been abused to come forward, for fear they will not be believed or their disclosure not taken seriously. That’s why it’s important for the justice system to treat and dispose of such cases consistently.”

Gibson from Biggar, Lanarkshire, pleaded guilty last month to possessing indecent images of children at his then home in Pathhead, Midlothian. Sentence had been deferred until yesterday for the court to obtain reports.

The former Merchant Navy sailor owns Gibson Marine, which operates throughout the world transporting rigs to oil fields and which turned a profit of £102,000 in 2010.

Gibson Marine Ltd says on its website it “provides consultancy and Towmaster services to the marine industry. We have wide experience in the moving of oil rigs both semi submersible and jack ups, we specialize in the placing of jack up oil rigs alongside existing platforms. In more recent years we have entered into the offshore heavy lift market and worked extensively with heavy lift vessels and barges and also taken part in our first FPSO installation.”

Aside from his business activities, Gibson used file-sharing software in which he exchanged photographs with others online before being caught by officers from Lothian and Borders Police. Gibson, who calls himself Captain on his business website, was arrested after his home was raided by police in May 2011. Officers discovered a total of 49,809 indecent images on his computer. The majority of the images contained boys who were aged five to 14.

It is rumoured Police Officers working on the investigation are extremely disappointed Gibson was not sent to jail.

So, when do they arrest the judges, lawyers and others on the list and how many of them are in Scotland ? – Ed?

NOT PROVEN : The day the Crown Office couldn't convict Lothian & Borders Police of Gun Running over 'destroyed firearms' found at Edinburgh Gun shop

Some things are not best forgotten : Edinburgh cops saved by a “Not Proven” verdict over gun running charges. AMID fresh claims that weapons handed into Scottish Police Forces which are supposed to have been destroyed, ranging from expensive antique firearms to Nazi daggers have recently been turning up in former officer’s private and apparently secret collections, or being put up for sale in auctions, both private and online, it may well be time to reflect on another incident of a strikingly similar nature which took place in Scotland in the mid 1980’s, where a siege at Field & Stream, an Edinburgh Gun shop at the time revealed THOUSANDS of GUNS which had also supposedly been destroyed by Lothian & Borders Police. However, even though incredibly, some Police were actually charged over the discoveries of the allegedly destroyed weapons which were up for sale in the Gun shop, no officers were ever found guilty.

The Crown Office’ part in the failed prosecution of the alleged gun runners of Lothian & Borders Police and the many other officers who either must have known or played a part but were never arrested or even interviewed, was never really explained, apart from the usual rumours of incompetence, and fit ups now well engrained into public life.

Read more on the Lothian & Borders Fettes Gun Running scandal HERE

Incidentally, even though no Police Officers were jailed in the 1980’s scandal, the Gun shop owner who had been holding himself hostage (Yes, you did read that correctly – Ed) received a 33 month sentence. (Do these new claims relate to the rumours about the retired senior cop who sold a few SS Daggers & chains including one to a judge ? Wonder if he also likes motorsports ? – Ed)

If you have a story about items handed into the Police, why not tell us at Scottish Law Reporter.

Arrests in England over Police payments, Scotland to follow? We reveal Crooked Scots Cops, Prosecutors ALSO sold info & services for CASH BUNGS

Cash for hacking - Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland in need of someone to arrest, just as long as it’s not a colleague, a lawyer or a Police Officer WHILE arrests have finally been made today in England & Wales after investigations into payments to Police Officers by journalists, campaigners for openness in Scotland are now beginning to question why no substantive investigations have taken place into similar actions north of the border where corrupt Police Officers working in various Scottish Police Forces and it is alleged, employees of the Scottish Courts Service and Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have taken CASH BUNGS or “other forms of payments” from journalists, private investigators & high profile lawyers for information on individuals which includes private financial details, personal & medical files and much more.

In one bizarre case brought to the attention of Scottish Law Reporter by a journalist, even a senior detective in Lothian & Borders Police appears to have fallen victim to creepy backhander-cash-for-info scandals where a lesser rank detective in his team “grassed up” his Detective Chief Inspector boss to Scottish tabloids over an ‘extra-marital affair love tryst with a crime victim’ saga. The DCI was forced to retire in humiliation after the ‘love affair’ scandal hit the headlines. The lesser ranking detective who sold the story to the tabloid appears to have received “a substantial sum of money” although the episode apparently did little for his career prospects.

The case of the senior detective sold-out-for-cash appears to have taken some strange turns, made all the worse after evidence emerged that a bizarre “turf war” between detectives including the one who sold out his boss, & local uniformed officers within the division of Lothian & Borders Police ended up destroying a costly year long drugs surveillance operation in a small Borders town, where one family was known to have been dealing in & selling large quantities of drugs to all age groups including school children. A more in-depth report on this case is to follow.

Another case being looked into by an independent journalist has revealed more payments to cops on where material gathered on “target individuals” such as lists of phone calls, council & medical records & other information was handed over to a lawyer from a well known law firm which is known to have represented now former senior law officers in the Crown Office. The information, which was exchanged for a substantial sum of money, appears to have been gained by serving Police Officers and officials working at Scotland’s Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

In another instance, at least one Police Officer is alleged to be on the payroll of a private law firm which has a senior partner who is also a serving Sheriff. In a case previously reported by Scottish Law Reporter, one particular firm used a Police Officer to threaten tradesmen who were seeking to recover debts from a serving advocate who is a client & friend of the serving sheriff. The Police Officer, who threatened a tradesman with arrest “if he didn't shut up about the debts” is suspected of receiving payment for his actions on behalf of the sheriff.

In a case which appears to implicate staff working for the Scottish Court Service, information on a private individual including personal statements appears to have been shared by SCS staff with a law firm, again on a cash for access basis.

No action appears to have been taken in any of the above examples, even though the cases, in which money has changed hands on each occasion, are now well known to senior officers and senior figures in Scotland’s judiciary.

While BBC News reports on the arrests in England & Wales, insiders say expect no arrests in Scotland …

Operation Elveden: Five held in police payment probe

Four former and current Sun journalists and a police officer have been arrested by detectives investigating payments made to police by journalists. Scotland Yard said the men, aged 29 to 56, were arrested at addresses in London and Essex earlier. The 29-year-old, a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police's Territorial Policing Command, was arrested at his work - a central London police station.

News Corporation said it would continue to pursue "legitimate journalism". Offices at News International in Wapping are currently being searched. The BBC understands the arrested journalists are ex-deputy editor Fergus Shanahan, ex-managing editor Graham Dudman, crime editor Mike Sullivan and head of news Chris Pharo.

The Met said the arrests, part of Operation Elveden, were prompted by information given to police by News Corporation. A BBC source said this was an effort aimed at "draining the swamp" so as to restore journalistic integrity at News International titles.

News Corporation and its Management and Standards Committee (MSC) issued a statement following the arrests saying it had made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated. "It commissioned the management and standards committee to undertake a review of all News International titles, regardless of cost, and to proactively co-operate with law enforcement and other authorities if potentially relevant information arose at those titles. "As a result of that review, which is ongoing, the MSC provided information to the Elveden investigation which led to today's arrests."

News Corporation also said it would "continue to give its total support to the continued work of the MSC and to ensure that legitimate journalism is vigorously pursued in both the public interest and in full compliance with the law".

Operation Elveden is supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and is being run in conjunction with Operation Weeting, Scotland Yard's inquiry into phone hacking by the now-closed News of the World. A spokesman said Saturday's arrests and searches related to suspected payments to officers and was not about seeking journalists to reveal their sources regarding information obtained legitimately.

The police have said that two men, aged 48 and 56, were arrested at their homes in Essex. A second 48-year-old man was detained at his home in north London. Officers are searching their homes. A fourth man, aged 42, was arrested at 11am when he attended an east London police station. All were being questioned on suspicion of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both offences.

The fifth man to be arrested, a 42-year-old man attended an east London police station on Saturday morning. He was arrested on suspicion of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both these offences. The officer was being held on suspicion of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, misconduct in a public office, as well as conspiracy in relation to both offences. His home was also being searched. Scotland Yard said the searches were expected to continue into Saturday afternoon.

The officer was the second serving officer to be arrested as part of Operation Elveden. The first, a 52-year-old woman, was arrested last month and bailed, police said. A total of 13 people have now been arrested as part of the inquiry. Twelve were arrested by the Met and the thirteenth by the IPCC.

IPCC deputy chair Deborah Glass said she was satisfied with the "strenuous efforts being made by this investigation to identify police officers who may have taken corrupt payments".

She said she had considered the IPCC's role and whether to use its powers directly in relation to the latest suspects, but said "given the interlocking nature of the investigation and arrests which do not just involve police officers, I believe the priority is not around whose powers should be used, but for an effective investigation that brings wrongdoers to justice. "While we continue to provide a supervisory role across Operation Elveden, I will consider each referral on its own merit and we will investigate independently if appropriate."

Among those questioned during the inquiries were former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, ex-Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson, former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner, the paper's former royal editor Clive Goodman, and its former crime editor Lucy Panton.

The total number of people arrested in the inquiries now stands at 27. Two were released without further action, and 21 remain on police bail.

Scots Judges, Police & Prosecutors jittery over arrest of ‘Fettesgate’ lawyer David Blair Wilson amid fears of new rent-boy for crooked judges scandal

A repeat of the 1990’s FETTESGATE MAGIC CIRCLE boys-for-sex-with-judges scandal is on the cards, according to Scots legal insiders after it became known senior members of Scotland’s legal establishment including some of the country’s most senior judges, Police, prosecutors and Holryood politicians have been shaken by the arrest of crooked lawyer David Blair Wilson for the attempted smuggling of drugs into Saughton Prison in Edinburgh. Judges and their colleagues in the legal world are rumoured to be worried that enquiries into the life of the lawyer who once claimed to have compromising pictures of top law officers & prosecutors from the Crown Office caught up in gay sex orgies with young men & juveniles may reveal the Magic Circle of boy swapping Scots justice figures has existed all along, despite a report in the 1990s by the then WA Nimmo Smith QC & JD Friel, Procurator Fiscal for North Strathclyde which attempted to put a lid on the dealings of judges whose decisions were rumoured to be influenced by blackmail using compromising information & pictures relating to rent-boys.

A legal insider speaking to Scottish Law Reporter has claimed there are moves to persuade Blair Wilson to take a guilty plea rather than allow him to plead not guilty because many senior figures in the legal community fear press enquiries into what Blair Wilson has been up to and who he was allegedly supplying drugs to, may lead to a 2011 version of the Magic Circle justice scandal landing on the front pages.

The Report on an Inquiry into an Allegation of a Conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice in Scotland which can be viewed online here : REPORT ON MAGIC CIRCLE GAY JUSTICE SCANDAL (pdf) was widely rubbished as little more than an attempt to cover up well known habits of certain judges & prosecutors in Scotland who sought & gained sexual contact with males under the ages of 18 and less than 16. With the arrest of Blair Wilson, the judiciary & Crown Office staff who appear to have continued the habits of the Magic Circle are now worried for their own positions.

Blair Wilson is mentioned in the following paragraphs of the report : “At the initial meeting with the reporting officer Crawford was asked to elaborate on the matter concerning Mr Douglas Allan and confirmed that he had informed DC Few that these photographs existed. He claimed that during the summer of 1988 he had been in the "Laughing Duck" public house 24 Howe Street, Edinburgh, along with Conroy and another male homosexual associate of Conroys, David Blair Wilson, then of Wilson Terris & Co., 22 Hill Street, Edinburgh, when he noticed another male customer continually looking at Conroy and smiling to him. As he was having a relationship with Conroy he asked who the apparent admirer was and was informed by Conroy in the hearing of David Blair Wilson that it was "Douglas Allan" the Procurator Fiscal, the "Top Law man in Edinburgh".

Conroy and Wilson informed Crawford that David Blair Wilson had compromising photographs of Douglas Allan along with a "young guy", Crawfords understanding was that although Conroy was present he was not the young man involved in the photo session."

Although the meeting on 3January 1991 was between Souter and Crawford alone, thereafter the investigation was carried out by Souter and Detective Sergeant Peter Brown together. There was a further meeting between them and Crawford on 14 January 1991, when Crawford repeated much of what he had said on 3 January. On 25 January 1991 Souter and Brown met Conroy in Parsons Green Terrace, Edinburgh.

According to the memorandum he "agreed to speak off the record regarding his involvement as a juvenile with homosexuals in the legal profession and although he denied that he had personally had sexual relationships with anyone he claimed that he was aware of the homosexuality of" a number of persons whom he named, one of whom was Douglas Allan.

The memorandum proceeds: "He claimed that his only knowledge of these men was hearsay but that Douglas Allan is a friend as is his own solicitor David Blair Wilson. He claimed that these people had all at some time attended parties ... in Palmerston Place, Edinburgh, at which young men attended and where alleged sexual activities occurred." He agreed to provide a written account of these matters, but in the event he did not do so.

SHAMED JUDGE TAKEN ON BY SNP LEGAL PROJECT : Earlier this year, Scottish Law Reporter covered the SNP’s recruitment of former High Court judge Lord Dervaird to their Scottish Arbitration Centre pet project run by lawyers close to the SNP. Dervaird himself was forced to resign from the bench in the earlier Magic Circle gay justice scandal, more of which is reported here : Ex-Court of Session Fettesgate Judge Lord Dervaird made Hon Vice President of SNP/Law Society backed Scottish Arbitration Centre

A BOY IN THE BOOT : In one rumour circulating the Scots legal world relating to one of the most prominent figures in Scotland’s legal establishment who regularly appears in newspaper articles promoting the interests of the profession and has even appeared in front of msps at the Scottish Parliament, it is claimed that after playing a round of golf with colleagues, the ‘senior legal figure’ opened the boot of his car to show off a young boy under the age of sixteen who was hiding under a cover which he was transporting to his “country home” for sexual purposes. (Sorry, need some air after reading this one – Ed)

POPPERS : A source has also claimed an individual from the gay scene in Edinburgh has allegedly come forward, volunteering information he has directly supplied senior legal figures with illegal drugs and also “poppers”, a kind of narcotic stimulant used in gay sex.

There is little doubt in the Scottish legal community that several judges, prosecutors & senior lawyers “have the potential to be implicated in a new gay justice scandal due to their sexual preferences for young men and other habits” and it has been confirmed to journalists already looking into the affair there is significant anger from legal circles directed at Lothian & Borders Police for making the arrest in the first place. However Police source say they are determined to act against any criminals (Oh really ? Another break in of Fettes on the cards is it ? – Ed)

The Sunday Mail newspaper reported on the Blair Wilson arrest :

LAWYER HELD BY JAIL DRUG COPS

Police swoop in prison car park to arrest lawyer accused of smuggling attempt

Oct 9 2011 Exclusive by Stephen Stewart, Sunday Mail

A LAWYER has been accused of trying to smuggle cannabis into one of Scotland's toughest jails. Police swooped on solicitor David Blair-Wilson after guards at Saughton prison, Edinburgh, raised the alarm.

Blair-Wilson was arrested and charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act after police searched a car in the prison car park on Thursday. He was quizzed at St Leonard's police office in the capital where he complained of chest pains. He was then transferred to the city's Royal Infirmary where he was held under police guard, though he has since left hospital.

A police spokesman said: "A search was carried out of a vehicle within the prison car park and drugs and other items associated with organised crime were seized."We continue to gather intelligence on organised criminals - including those serving time in prison - and will act on any information relating to illegal activities."

Blair-Wilson was found guilty of professional misconduct by Law Society chiefs eight years ago after numerous complaints. He was given a 10-year ban, preventing him working with legal transactions of a financial nature.

He avoided being struck off but was ordered to work under supervision for 10 years. One client accused Blair-Wilson of giving false information on his behalf to a court while another said he misled him. A clinical psychologist and legal assistant accused him of failing to pay fees they were owed. Blair-Wilson failed to respond to the Law Society's concerns and ignored repeated demands to hand over his accounts.

He was previously a criminal law specialist and worked for Nigel Beaumont & Co in Edinburgh. Since qualifying as a lawyer in 1982, he has worked for nine different law firms. He now works for Edinburgh solicitor Massimo D'Alvito. Mr D'Alvito said: "I didn't know anything about this. It came as a shock to me."

In 2007, lawyer Angela Baillie - dubbed Ally McDeal - was sentenced to 32 months in jail for handing over heroin to client Peter McConville in Glasgow's Barlinnie prison.

Ex Top Cop now at SLCC Douglas Watson’s former lover Chief Inspector Allison Strachan arrested, appears in Court on Data Protection charges

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Scottish Hackergate : Crown Office confirms Strathclyde Police in ‘narrow focus’ Sheridan trial inquiry, telephone hacking & Police corruption probe

THE CROWN OFFICE have confirmed Strathclyde Police are to investigate claims of telephone hacking & breaches of data protection in Scotland, albeit in a ‘narrow focussed’ inquiry relating to the News of the World hacking scandal (I wouldn’t advise anyone to expect too much of this one – Ed)

Strathclyde Police are also to investigate any allegations or instances of Police corruption although as records of investigation into Police corruption go, none have been all that successful in Scotland.

One of our reporters, apparently familiar with many examples where Police officers in Scotland had inappropriate contact with outside interests where money changed hands for information, posed the following question in the office this morning.

Our reporter discussed the merits of the inquiry and asked : Would this include instances where for example, a Detective Sergeant from an unnamed Scottish Police Force hacked information on his Detective Chief Inspector who was having an affair with a married burglary victim and went on to sell the information to a tabloid newspaper, generating headlines which disgraced his senior officer who was then forced to retire ? … (Jings ! and I thought the subject under investigation was Police selling information to the media ! – Ed)

A Press Release issued by the Crown Office states :

Investigation into alleged telephone hacking in Scotland 

From: Crown Office

INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED TELEPHONE HACKING IN SCOTLAND

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have today confirmed that a Strathclyde Police investigation into claims of phone hacking and breaches of data protection in Scotland has commenced.

The Crown had previously asked Strathclyde Police to make a preliminary assessment of the available information and the evidence given by certain witnesses in the trial of Tommy Sheridan following allegations made against the News of the World newspaper.

The preliminary assessment has concluded. Strathclyde Police have now reviewed the available information and following liaison with the Area Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow the Crown has instructed an investigation should commence.

The investigation will be progressed expeditiously and in close liaison with the Area Procurator Fiscal and Crown Counsel. Significant resources will be deployed though these will vary with the needs of the investigation.

The investigation will cover the following:

1. Allegations that witnesses gave perjured evidence in the trial of Tommy Sheridan.

2. Allegations that, in respect of persons resident in Scotland, there are breaches of data protection legislation or other offences in relation to unlawful access to personal data.

3. Alleged offences determined from material held by the Metropolitan Police in respect of 'phone hacking' (Contraventions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) and breaches of data protection legislation in Scotland.

4. Alleged instances of police corruption linked to items 2 and 3 above, in respect of the unlawful provision of information or other personal data to journalists or persons acting on their behalf.

Having investigated these matters Strathclyde Police will report to the Area Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow and Crown Counsel.

Who was paid to release the Gail Sheridan interview tape ? Answers on an email to Scottish Law Reporter

If current rumours are anything to go by, and we here at Scottish Law Reporter have heard some very odd things recently, the headline says it all. What is certainly known is the Gail Sheridan interview tape was leaked maliciously and not for free.

Anyone with information on how this tape came to be in the public domain, along with info on exactly who received how much money for it and from whom, please contact Scottish Law Reporter before the usual Scottish ‘snow job’ enquiry buries the evidence. Just remember folks, it could happen to you next.

Made available for a lot more than 30 pieces of silver, according to rumours. Info please to scottishlawreporter@gmail.com

Sheriff charged with drink driving, suspended by Lord President, quits post ahead of court appearance.

SHERIFF ROBERT ANTHONY, who was appointed in 2007 after the consequential vacancy arising on the Shrieval bench following the appointment in early 2007 year of Sheriff Hugh Matthews QC to the Court of Session, has quit his job after being suspended by the Lord President, Lord Hamilton when it was revealed Sheriff Anthony had been charged with drink-driving offences (DUI) while driving on the M8 near Harthill. Sheriff Anthony earned around £123,200.

First Minister Alex Salmond nominated Mr Anthony, 45, for appointment on the basis of a report by the independent Judicial Appointments Board. Sheriff Anthony had a commission enabling him to serve where required throughout Scotland's 49 sheriff courts. He sat mostly mostly in the sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin.

Admitted as a solicitor in 1984 and to the Faculty of Advocates in 1988, Mr Anthony took silk in 2002. He served as an Advocate Depute, and latterly as a senior Advocate Depute, from 2001 until 2004. In July 2005 Mr Anthony was appointed as a part-time sheriff. He was appointed a Commissioner of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission in March 2007.

The resignation of Sheriff Anthony parallels the case of the former (now deceased) Sheriff Mark Sischy, who similarly resigned from his position as a Sheriff in disgrace after being caught drink-driving, and amazingly returned to the Scottish judicial system as a £74,000-a-year chairman of employment tribunals. Scottish Law Reporter recently reported on events surrounding highly questionable tribunal decisions taken during the late Mr Sischy’s term as the tribunal’s chairman HERE where former St Andrews University lecturer Dr Declan Quigley raised allegations & complaints to Scotland’s Lord President, Lord Hamilton, of ‘buried evidence’ and named Court of Session judge Lady Smith in the complaint, more details of which can be found HERE

News report from “The Sun” follows :

Booze Charge Sheriff Quits

By THOMAS SMITH

Published: 15 Oct 2010
A SHERIFF quit yesterday after appearing in court on a drink-driving charge.

Robert B Anthony, who sits at Glasgow Sheriff Court, resigned from his position after he was suspended by law chiefs. The 48-year-old, from Broxburn, West Lothian, had appeared at Linlithgow Sheriff Court on Wednesday and will appear again next Friday at Livingston Sheriff Court.

Last night a spokesman for the Judicial Office for Scotland said he was "immediately suspended" last month after being charged, pending the outcome of the case. The spokesman added: "Sheriff Anthony has resigned with immediate effect." The sheriff has raised his profile in his five years since being appointed to the bench.

Six months ago, he spared crime boss Eddie Lyons jail for mortgage fraud. The Lyons clan have been involved in a bloody feud with the rival Daniel gang in the north of Glasgow. Sheriff Anthony's claims that Eddie Lyons has "never caused any trouble to society" drew sniggers in court. The notorious gang lord had never been convicted before. He was cleared of attempted murder in 2001 and escaped charges again three years later after police seized £63,000 in alleged drug money from his home.

Fining Lyons, 52, just 300 hours' community service for £259,000 mortgage fraud, Sheriff Anthony told him: "As far as I'm concerned, you are a first offender and a man of mature years who has never caused any trouble to society."

In February this year, Sheriff Anthony jailed two thugs who filmed themselves attacking a stranger then posted the footage on YouTube. Caging the pair for two years, he told them: "This violent and unprovoked attack amounted to nothing more than bullying of a vulnerable member of society."

Last night a spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We can confirm that a male was charged with drink driving on September 30." He was charged under section five of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Sheriff Anthony was unavailable for comment last night.

Law & Order : 18 Police Officers worked on shamed banker Goodwin’s broken window

It has emerged that 18 Police Officers were drafted in to investigate no more than three broken windows at the home of Sir Fred Goodwin, the banker who broke the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the UK Treasury. (Not the best use of Plod’s time perhaps ? – Ed)

The Daily Record reports :

Revealed: 18 cops needed to investigate Fred Goodwin's broken window

May 19 2009

EIGHTEEN police officers investigated three smashed windows at shame banker Sir Fred Goodwin's home, it emerged yesterday.

The axed Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive's home was vandalised in March by a group calling themselves Bank Bosses Are Criminals.

A Freedom of Information Act request revealed Lothian and Borders Police spent 65 hours on the case.

Their team included five detectives, forensic specialists, a dog handler and hi-tech crime inspectors looking into an email which claimed responsibility.

But the attack on Fred the Shred's home in Grange, Edinburgh, is still unsolved. A force spokesman said officers at first went to "investigate any potential threat to personal safety".

He added: "When it was confirmed that there was no immediate risk to any individual, the response was scaled down.

"All personal attack alarms or similar alarm calls are treated as a priority, irrespective of the address.

"Ongoing crimes or threats to personal safety being given a higher priority than those where a crime has already taken place and the accused is no longer in the vicinity."

The vandalism came amid huge public anger over Goodwin's £700,000-a-year pension after he drove RBS to the edge of collapse.

When the alarm was first raised, four officers spent four hours carrying out a search.

A police dog handler joined the hunt for an hour and two PCs were posted outside the banker's home for 16 hours.

A forensic team spent two hours at the scene while two constables carried out 12 hours of door-to-door inquiries.

Two scenes-of-crime officers took part in the probe for more than two hours, supervised by a sergeant for an hour.

The investigation was overseen for 16 hours by two detective constables , led by a detective inspector for six hours.

Detective inspectors spent five hours investigating emails sent to the media, which threatened the incident was "just the beginning".

Law & Order : Lothian & Borders Policewoman guilty over misuse of data access

A Lothian & Borders Policewoman has been found guilty of illegally accessing data on Police computers, and may face a £5,000 fine.

The Edinburgh News reports :

Policewoman facing £5,000 fine over illegal data checks

Published Date: 06 May 2009

A POLICEWOMAN is facing a fine of up to £5,000 after she illegally accessed people's data using a police computer.

Anna Wong, 26, was suspended by Lothian and Borders Police after they caught her using intelligence databases to look-up people she knew.

Wong – originally from Hong Kong – used the Scottish Intelligence Database and the Lothian and Borders Operational Support System to obtain personal details of a number of Chinese people living in Scotland.

The officer was suspended after it emerged she was accessing the details at the capital's St Leonard's Police Station between March 2006 and June 2007.

Wong was charged with 54 breeches of the Data Protection Act and later admitted 28 of the charges at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

She insists she did not pass the information on to anyone else but could face a maximum £5,000 fine.

Fiscal depute Beverley Adam said Wong had been at level nine on the scale of access privileges within the force – the lowest rating with access to the information – when she used the databases.

Her solicitor, David O'Hagan, said Wong had begun tapping into the database to look-up outstanding cases against two people she knew.

However, Mr O'Hagan said, because of the difficulties in recording Chinese names on the computers, Wong simply entered "Chinese" as a search term and began accessing others in the Chinese community to investigate possible links.

Mr O'Hagan said: "They are all confined to one date. (It involved) Two individuals who she knew and had some concerns for.

"She started off looking for the details of these people but there is a regular problem with the database with regard to Chinese names.

"She then entered 'Chinese' into the database and it generated a number of names. She looked at a variety of them but she did not pass on any information to anybody."

But, Mr O'Hagan admitted, Wong's access had not been "specifically for the detection of crime" – the only reason officers are allowed to use the databases.

Mr O'Hagan added: "There is guidance as to what should and should not be done."

Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie QC deferred sentence on Wong, who lives in Edinburgh, until next month for background reports.

She said: "I want to get background information as to what level of access you were entitled to."

Wong was granted bail until June.

Lothian and Borders Police say they will now conduct a misconduct investigation into Wong's behaviour. A police spokesman said: "Lothian and Borders Police can confirm that an officer has been suspended and has appeared in court charged with breaching the Data Protection Act.

"Following the conviction, consideration will now be given to carrying out a misconduct investigation under the Police (Conduct)(Scotland) Act 1996."

Lothian & Borders Chief Constable to be sued for 'injuries' after court clears brothers

An interesting story from the Scotsman’s stable mate – the Edinburgh Evening News on a report where two brothers, cleared of charges including Police assault, are to sue the Chief Constable of Lothian & Borders Police for injuries sustained during their ‘arrest’.

The Evening News reports :

Millionaire brothers to sue police for injuries

Published Date: 13 December 2008
By Alan McEWEN

TWO millionaire property tycoons are to sue Lothian Chief Constable David Strang after being cleared of charges including police assault.

Patrick and Hugh Hegarty spoke of their 18-month "nightmare" after being found not guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.

The Irish brothers were charged following a house-warming party at Patrick's luxury flat in the New Town's Wemyss Place in June last year, when bottles of water were allegedly thrown from the building's roof.

Police claimed in court that the men later resisted arrest and struggled with officers, and that Hugh Hegarty also punched an officer in the face.

Patrick, 47, and Hugh, 45, of Victoria Park, Londonderry, denied charges of culpable and reckless conduct, breach of the peace, resisting arrest and assault.

And key to their case was camera footage, lasting 25 seconds, shot by Hugh Hegarty.

Finding the brothers not guilty, Sheriff Johnston said the video evidence had been "crucial".

The brothers have already lodged a civil action against the police and are seeking "substantial damages" following their ordeal and repayment of their £70,000 legal costs.

Police today said they could not comment on the matter as they had not yet received a complaint.

Patrick Hegarty said: "Whilst hugely relieved that justice has been done, our overwhelming emotion is anger that our family and friends have been dragged through this nightmare.

"The testimony given by several police officers in this case was fatally undermined only because we had video evidence.

"His brother added: "We received extensive injuries at the hands of the police, and we will be pursuing a substantial damages case against Lothian and Borders Police as a matter of urgency.

"The trial of the brothers began in April, with hearings in June and August, and restarted on Wednesday of this week.

The court heard that trouble flared after two officers, constables Scott McGregor and William Telford, spotted bottles being thrown from the roof of the New Town flat at around 5.30am on June 1 last year.

Pc Nicola Patterson was among other officers called to help.

The brothers came down to the foyer, where police alleged that they refused to give their names and addresses and committed a breach of the peace.

In his evidence, Hugh Hegarty said that when his brother was being taken to a police car in handcuffs, he followed with a camera and began recording.

The developer said he was approached by Pc Paterson, who demanded that he stop. When he refused, she forcibly tried to take the camera off him.

Mr Hegarty said that he managed to break free and was running back to the house when he was tripped by pursuing officers. He said the officers knelt on him, with one grabbing his ear and bashing his head on the ground.

Giving evidence, Patrick Hegarty said officers grabbed him by the back of his head and smashed his face on the car roof. His teeth bridge work was destroyed and a witness told the court of seeing him lying in a pool of blood.

The court had been shown pictures of injuries to both brothers and their blood-stained clothing.

The Hegarty family own property development firm WG Mitchell. It has built up a £500 million mixed portfolio with acquisitions such as the Point Hotel in Edinburgh, according to reports.

Lothian & Borders cops suspended amid drugs probe

Proving at least, its not only lawyers who might just allegedly be crooked …

The Daily Record reports :

Exclusive: Six drug squad cops suspended in probe

Oct 8 2008 By Lynn Davidson

SIX drug squad officers have been suspended from duty pending an investigation.

Detective Inspector Garry Inglis and five unnamed uniformed cops from Lothian and Borders Drugs Unit have been put on paid leave.

Last night, a police spokesman confirmed the officers had been asked to stay away from work until further notice.

An investigation is being carried out by officers working in the force's professional standards department.

DI Inglis led the Drugs Unit at the Force's "A" Division, which covers Edinburgh city centre. And it is not the first time he has been questioned by fellow police officers. As a detective constable, he was kicked out of the elite Drug Enforcement Agency after being caught drink driving in 2001.

He was fined s500 and disqualified from driving for 18 months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. He was put back on uniformed duties but worked his way back into detective work.

A police spokesman said: "As part of an ongoing investigation, five uniformed officers and one detective have been asked not to report for duty until witness statements have been noted from them.

"It must be stressed that none of these officers are in any way suspected of criminality."

A police insider said: "This is an unprecedented move. It is highly unusual to put officers on what is really garden leave.

"Usually if a complaint is made they are moved to a different department pending an investigation or officially suspended, not sent home to twiddle their thumbs."

DI Inglis, who works from St Leonard's in Edinburgh, declined to comment at his home in Gullane, East Lothian, last night.

The news came a day after another cop faced a drugs rap. Constable Christopher McGinn, 28, appeared on petition at Haddington Sheriff Court on Monday charged under the 1971Misuse of Drugs Act and with perverting the course of justice.

The uniformed officer, from Prestonpans in East Lothian, has now been suspended.

He appeared alongside David Gare, 27, of Musselburgh, who was also charged under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. They made no plea and were remanded in custody.

HMIC criticises Scotland's Police Forces for ignoring the public

Its now the turn of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland to 'criticise' Scotland's Police Forces for seemingly ignoring the public.

The Herald reports :

Watchdog attacks police for ignoring the public

JULIA HORTON

Scotland's police routinely fail to give victims of crimes, witnesses and the public vital information on investigations, an official report has found.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) warned this failure meant forces are in danger of losing crucial help from the public in solving crimes, while the quality of service was suffering because officers were too busy focusing on target setting and other "performance management".

The report into how police dealt with contact from members of the public comes the day after Lothian and Borders Police was condemned by Scotland's police complaints commissioner for failing to respond properly to complainants.

Both reports mirror statistics revealing a growing public discontent across the country over poor police communication.

The inspectorate's report authors found "no recognisable standard" for providing feedback which was "rarely, if ever" published for people to see.

They stated: "We also considered the large number of calls made to the police to provide information, for example I've seen something suspicious' or I think you should know where these drug dealers are operating'.

"We found little evidence of any systematic approach to either following through this contact ... or capturing callers' views on how they had been dealt with. It appeared that very few were given any feedback, unless they were needed as witnesses. As a result, the service may be missing valuable opportunities to encourage further future contact from these members of the public."

They added: "It appeared to us that the service's focus on quality management had diminished recently. It may be that the increased emphasis on performance management, through process improvement and target-setting, has diverted attention from quality of service."

The inspectorate's review calls for a national minimum standard for feedback which should be published so people know what they should expect.

It also urged the Scottish Government to review the way the criminal justice system provides information to witnesses of crimes and victims, after branding the current approach "uncoordinated at best and confusing or duplicative at worst".

The most recent figures from Audit Scotland based on public opinion surveys by the police found that the number of people who were very or fairly satisfied with the way in which police dealt with them fell from almost 83% in 2000 to just over 77% in 2006.

Conversely, the number of people either very or fairly dissatisfied rose from 8.5% in 2000 to 14.4% in 2006.

The Assistant Inspector of Constabulary Malcolm Dickson yesterday stressed that the police did often provide good feedback and that officers were short on time.

He said: "We appreciate that individual officers are very busy, working 24-hour shifts, so we think giving feedback should be more of an organisational responsibility."

However he added: "This inspection was prompted by a widespread recognition within the police service that one of the weakest areas in its dealings with the public is a failure to provide updates or feedback on how an inquiry was progressing.

"During the inspection we confirmed this weakness."

Other recommendations in the HMICS report included putting a strong emphasis on good customer care when training new staff and making more use of mobile phones and e-mail to boost communication with the public.

Mr Dickson said there had been "tremendous" improvements in the way the private sector provides information to its customers and that the police service could not allow itself to fall behind.

The report author's also suggested that Victim Support Scotland could help provide feedback to crime victims.

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland pledged to consider the report's recommendations and implement them "as appropriate".

The government also said it would look at recommendations and explore "what more can be done to improve information flow to victims".

Lawyers in a spin over 'routine' bugging claims

The legal profession throughout the UK has descended into frenzy over claims that Police routinely eavesdrop on interviews and meetings between lawyers & clients in Police stations, prisons etc ...

Given the level of surveillance in the UK these days, where just about everything is filmed, recorded, watched at some stage, the revelations do not strike a great surprise among many.

Now the wait is on for some action from the legal profession itself, which surely would be that of a lawyer or group of lawyers taking the Government to court over actual evidence of bugging ...

The Sunday Herald reports :

Top Scottish lawyers: we’re 'all being bugged'

By John Bynorth

Legal professionals say prisons, police stations and mobile phones are all targets for unapproved eavesdropping

SENIOR HUMAN rights lawyers and a leading QC claim that phone tapping of solicitors' legally-protected conversations with clients in jail is commonplace in Scotland.

The legal figures have told the Sunday Herald that police and customs are eavesdropping phone and face-to-face conversations with criminals in prisons and elsewhere, including police stations, on a regular basis UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw has launched an inquiry into allegations that Labour MP Sadiq Khan's conversations with a terrorist suspect who was a constituent were monitored in Woodhill Prison, Bedford.

It was claimed yesterday the practice was widespread and could lead to the release of violent offenders if it was proved that monitoring of conversations had taken place, sanctioned by Westminster ministers.

A whistleblower is alleged to have detailed knowledge'' of the Bedford sting and claimed prisoners, including Soham murderer Ian Huntley, had been targeted along with other terrorist suspects.

Despite a statement from the Justice Ministry that covert listening operations were a matter for the police in line with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, leading QC Gareth Peirce and shadow home secretary David Davis said the fresh allegations merited another inquiry.

Gerry Considine, president of the Glasgow Bar Association, said the Crown Office and the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency should give evidence to any such inquiry as he claimed the practice has been taking place for years''.

He said: I am aware of conversations, where I'm sure that I have been bugged, not just by the police, but also Customs and Excise where we are dealing with people accused of major drugs importations."

Leading advocate Paul McBride, QC, said: For a number of years now, many counsel and solicitors dealing with high profile or sensitive cases, have been suspicious that their private consultations in prison are being listened into by others illegally and that their mobile phones are also the subject of eavesdropping.

If this practice is in existence, it should be stopped immediately, as there is a perfectly legal way in which the police can apply to the courts or seek authorisation from the First Minister for phone tapping to take place."

John Scott, a human rights lawyer, said that some solicitors do not meet at certain police stations, including St Leonards in Edinburgh, for fear their conversations can be eavesdropped.

It wouldn't be terribly hard to listen in on the private interview area and many solicitors don't attempt to speak to their clients there," he said. In prisons, you are directed to rooms for meetings with clients and it wouldn't be impossible to bug those.'' Defence lawyer Aamer Anwar said: "I wasn't shocked that criminal lawyers are being bugged and I have been conscious this has been going on for a number of years, particularly in terrorism cases.

"If this happened in the US, there would be uproar, but it seems the UK government doesn't give a damn."

One Scottish-based lawyer was convinced his phone conversations with a client accused of dealing in drugs from Pakistan were being monitored after an English police force called him in for interview and made clear details that could only have come from tapped calls.

Sources close to First Minister Alex Salmond confirmed that he had not authorised phone tapping of criminal lawyers during interviews with their clients.

The Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency was not available to comment on the issue. Lothian and Borders Police could not comment on the allegations surrounding St Leonards police station.