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Legal Matters ScotlandView this email in a browser
 
 
Legal Matters Scotland
 
 
Friday, 6th August 2021
 

A free early morning round up of news for legal professionals across Scotland.
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INDUSTRY

Govanhill Law Centre faces closure due to £75,000 funding gap
The future of Govanhill Law Centre is said to be in doubt after it failed to win a share of the Scottish Government's new Equality & Human Rights Fund, leaving a £75,000 hole in its finances. The Scottish Government said the new fund had been oversubscribed by applications "and so unfortunately there are organisations which have not been successful". The process had been competitive and independently assessed. Senior solicitor Rachel Moon said that if the law centre did not close, it would have to "look at seriously diluting our services", which would defeat one of its aims of being always there for clients. She added: "The work we deal with is complex and multi-faceted and has taken a long, long time for us to understand and be able to help".
The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland  

Lawyers claim racial injustice more of a professional barrier than caregiving
Racial injustice is the biggest professional barrier for over two-thirds of lawyers of colour, a new report suggests. In the study by Thomson Reuters, 68% of black lawyers said racially related injustice was a key barrier to climbing up the legal ladder – the study found it was considered to be a bigger obstacle than caregiving responsibilities for female lawyers.
City A.M.  







THE LAW

Ministers consult on new parking offence scheme
Ahead of the introduction of provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 that will ban pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs, the Scottish Government has launched a consultation on penalties related to the prohibitions. The consultation sets out a proposed classification of all parking offences into "higher" or "lower" contravention codes, in line with a list currently in use by English and Welsh councils – an approach which the paper says would allow quicker and easier amendment through guidance. The closing date for comments is October 4th.
The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland  





PROPERTY

Tourism bodies quit 'sham' short-term lets working group
Four tourism organisations have resigned from the Scottish government's working group on short-term lets, claiming it is "not fit for purpose". The Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers (ASSC), Airbnb, the Scottish B&B Association and the UK Short Term Accommodation Association accused ministers of disregarding their concerns over impending licensing legislation; they said that there had been "a lack of significant changes" to the planned legislation affecting traditional self-catering and B&Bs, as well as home-sharers, adding that additional provisions had been added to the legislation, with some guest houses now being "caught up" in the plans. A Scottish government spokesman said: "We are disappointed they have decided not to continue with their participation in the working group and thank them for the contribution to shaping the short-term lets legislation and guidance to this point". A third and final public consultation on the proposed legislation is due to run until 13 August.
BBC News  



CASES

Fife athletics coach guilty of sex offences against teenage girls
A former athletics coach has been convicted of rape and serious sexual offences against teenage girls in Fife. Eric Simpson raped one girl and subjected four other victims to indecent assaults and lewd behaviour between 1981 and 1999. The 73-year-old from Kirkcaldy had denied the offences but was found guilty of seven charges at the High Court in Edinburgh. Judge Lord Arthurson told him to expect a "very substantial" prison term. His youngest victim was just 13 years old. He told her to undress and molested her while massaging her with baby oil. She said: "I was frozen. I was too scared to do anything."
BBC News  

Death crash driver fails to win back licence early
A drink-driver who caused a friend's death in a crash in 2014 has failed to win back his licence early. Murray Geddes got behind the wheel because he was fed up waiting for a taxi but passenger Graeme McKenzie died in the crash on the A941 in Moray. Geddes was jailed for nine years and banned for 12 years, but these terms were cut on appeal to a six-year jail term and an eight-year ban. Judges Lord Menzies, Lord Malcolm and Lord Woolman refused to grant the request to restore his driving licence early. "The petitioner has already had the benefit of the original sentence, which included 12 years disqualification, being reduced on appeal to eight years and we do not consider having regard to the gravity of the original offence that it would be appropriate to grant this petition", said Lord Menzies.
BBC News  

Three arrests following John O'Groats 'firearms incident'
Two men and a woman have been arrested following reports of a firearm being discharged at a farm near John O'Groats in Caithness. Armed police officers and specialist negotiators were called to the incident in Stemster on Wednesday afternoon. Police said no-one was injured and there was no threat to the wider community. 
BBC News  





EMPLOYMENT

Rainbow Room: Four more salons in minimum wage breach
Four more hairdressing salons linked to a couple made OBEs in the New Year Honours list have been "named and shamed" for failing to pay workers the minimum wage. Alan and Linda Stewart founded Rainbow Room International which has 12 salons in Glasgow and central Scotland. Last year, it emerged that four Rainbow Room branches had underpaid workers. The company said the underpayments stemmed from a 2016 clerical error and that the money had since been paid. More than £5,000 was owed to 32 people working for branches of Rainbow Room International in Bearsden, Ayr, Glasgow's George Square and Royal Exchange Square. It is understood the companies are franchises and not directly managed by Alan and Linda Stewart.
BBC News  







SOCIAL

PM rejects plea to allow drug consumption rooms in Scotland
Boris Johnson has rejected pleas to allow drug consumption rooms in Scotland, vowing instead to take a hardline approach to criminal gangs. The Prime Minister was asked to clarify his position following the announcement that drug-related deaths in Scotland have reached an all-time high; he said “The number of deaths from drugs is utterly tragic, and we have to deal with it. I am more than willing to work with the government of Scotland and authorities at every level", but added "I am not in favour, instinctively, of encouraging people to take more drugs. What I am in favour of is helping problem addicts off drugs, helping people off their dependence, but I am also in favour of a tough approach". Mr Johnson also urged the Scottish Government to sign up to Project Adder – standing for Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery – which combines policing with treatment and recovery services.
The National  



OTHER

Knockderry Castle siblings lose eviction court battle
A long-running dispute over the occupation of an A-listed castle near Helensburgh appears to have come to an end following a ruling at Scotland's highest civil court. The Court of Session refused a ‘reclaiming motion’ by George Amil and Marian van Overwaele against a decree ordering them to vacate Knockderry Castle in Cove following sequestration. Mr Amil and Ms van Overwaele, who are said in the ruling to have occupied Knockderry Castle “for many years”, argued that their human rights had been breached after the decree was granted in their absence earlier this year. The ruling, by Lord Woolman, Lord Pentland and Lord Doherty, explains that Ms van Overwaele is the former owner of Knockderry Castle, but was sequestrated in 2000, and says that Mr Lafferty alleges the actions of Mr Amil and Ms van Overwaele have prevented him and Ms van Overwaele's creditors from possessing and selling the property.
Helensburgh Advertiser  

 
 
 
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