Scottish parliament to vote on scrapping legal verdict of not proven

Published 3 hours ago
Scottish parliament to vote on scrapping legal verdict of not proven

Bill includes suite of reforms to improve criminal justice system for survivors of rape and sexual violence

The unique Scottish verdict of not proven, long considered a global legal anomaly, could be scrapped this week as the Holyrood parliament votes on the country’s most radical shake-up of criminal justice in decades.

Scotland is the only country in the world to offer juries the not proven verdict alongside guilty and not guilty, a poorly defined historical oddity that dates back to the 18th century.

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ScotlandUK criminal justiceRape and sexual assaultScottish politicsLawUK newsSociety

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