Lord Advocate Angiolini made complaint to Press Complaints Commission over abuse claims report by Scots law title “The Firm”

Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini filed complaint with PCC over abuse claims publicity. ELISH ANGIOLINI, Scotland’s Lord Advocate is reported to have made a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission over Scots legal publication “The Firm” who recently reported on the case of Hollie Greig, a downs syndrome girl who filed reports with Grampian Police over claims she, together with other victims, was abused by an Aberdeen based paedophile gang which the media have reported contains a serving Sheriff and other key figures in Scotland’s legal establishment, including Police officers.

Scots legal publication “The Firm” were censored by legal threats from Lord Advocate. The complaint to the Press Complaints Commission is being widely seen as a tactical move on the part of the Lord Advocate, to warn other media outlets & newspapers from re-printing the allegations made by Hollie & her mother, Anne. However, while the PCC complaint deals with allegations printed by “The Firm”, it gives no answers to medical evidence now disclosed confirming Ms Greig was abused, and neither does it account for a substantial payout to Hollie from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, despite there being no charges to-date against anyone identified as being part of the paedophile gang.

A source at the Press Complaints Commission said they could not release any documentation regarding the complaint, and confirmed the PCC was exempt from Freedom of Information legislation, making it difficult to establish exactly why the Lord Advocate felt it necessary to file a complaint with the PCC through her private lawyers, identified as Glasgow law firm Levy McRae rather than make the complaint in a personal capacity.

It transpired the complaint made by Ms Angiolini through her lawyers was settled in a matter of hours after “The Firm” printed a retraction & apology, which we covered HERE

Press Complaints Commission : Ms Elish Angiolini (Complainant) v The Firm (Publication)

Complainant Name: Ms Elish Angiolini

Clauses Noted: 1

Publication: The Firm

Complaint:

Ms Elish Angiolini, the Lord Advocate of Scotland, complained through Levy & McRae Solicitors of Glasgow that an online article relating to comments made by the mother of Hollie Greig was inaccurate and misleading.

Resolution:

The complaint was resolved when the magazine published the following text online:

An article of 17 November reported that Anne Greig, mother of Hollie Greig - reportedly abused by an alleged paedophile ring said to include a serving Sheriff and a now deceased police officer - had called for an investigation into the role played by Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, then a Regional Procurator Fiscal, in the decision not to prosecute.

We have been asked by the Lord Advocate to make clear the following: there was no allegation of a paedophile ring contained in the police report to the Procurator Fiscal at that time; that there was no allegation about a Sheriff or a policeman in the report; that the decision not to prosecute was made before the Lord Advocate took up post as Regional Procurator Fiscal and on the basis that there was insufficient evidence in law; and that she was unaware of the claim at the time and has never had any involvement in the case. We are happy to make the position clear and did not intend to suggest that she had acted in any way improperly.

At the time of publication, the specific details regarding the timeline of the decision not to prosecute, although requested, were not provided by the Crown Office. This information was supplied after publication. Having been furnished with the relevant information, we would like to apologise to the Lord Advocate for any distress that may have been caused.