Solicitors Threaten to Boycott Proposed No-Jury Rape Trials in Scotland

The Scottish Government’s plans to introduce trials without juries in rape cases have been opposed by the professional body representing solicitors north of the border, which says its members will boycott them. Simon Brown, the vice president of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA), told a Holyrood committee on Tuesday the proposals were “experimenting with people’s lives.” Last year the Scottish Government put forward legislation that would allow a pilot scheme with judges only sitting in rape cases. They also proposed getting rid of the verdict of not proven, which is available to juries in Scotland as an alternative to guilty or not guilty....