tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post7389037856779961342..comments2024-03-24T23:01:57.640+00:00Comments on The Justice Diaries: The Price of Justice : Scottish Legal Aid Board 'frequent flyers' & Crown Office 'stationery kings' charge millions to taxpayer funded credit cardsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-10824539577066831742011-10-17T17:57:53.224+01:002011-10-17T17:57:53.224+01:00You must have upset slab with this one because the...You must have upset slab with this one because they've had a Dec10 release on their front page for weeks about lowering the costs of the board.This must have made a few people think about the cost of running that overstuffed quango.<br /><br />Good work Peter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-50869781431803016212011-09-26T22:53:15.526+01:002011-09-26T22:53:15.526+01:00Legal Aid is nothing less than a money making rack...Legal Aid is nothing less than a money making racket for lawyers not all this BS about "giving people access to justice" that's just RUBBISH its about putting money into the pockets of lawyers and now we see the true costs of lining the pockets of the legal profession.A BLOODY DISGRACE.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-39603704762653137182011-09-21T21:17:03.033+01:002011-09-21T21:17:03.033+01:00Well done Peter you got this out before they got t...Well done Peter you got this out before they got their Annual Report out saying how great they are which they damn well are not.<br />I see you experienced yourself how difficult it is to get legal aid and no doubt there was a lot of bias and prejudice against you when Douglas Mill sent that awful letter stopping your legal aid.<br /><br />Did you know Margaret Scanlan was also on the Legal Aid Board.With all that stuff in the newspapers about how she feels about robbed clients of crooked lawyers the mind boggles what went on at SLAB during her time there.<br /><br />I'll be happy to see the SNP scrap the Scottish Legal Aid Board when the time comes hopefully sooner than later!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-67447923800038766542011-09-21T14:16:49.865+01:002011-09-21T14:16:49.865+01:00Legal Aid is not about giving people access to jus...Legal Aid is not about giving people access to justice its nothing more than a subsidy to keep lawyers in business.<br /><br />Scrap it now and save the country a lot of money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-30065023546065010002011-09-21T11:41:08.929+01:002011-09-21T11:41:08.929+01:00You just need to read the papers one day to see th...You just need to read the papers one day to see this is 260 million not well spent.<br /><br />The criminals they bother to catch do half their sentences at most while the real crooks and the corrupt in high places are never touched.How about all those cases which fall apart when the Crown Office or cops screw up?Must be thousands of those cases a year the charges prosecution and legal aid all paid for by us this is a huge racket keeping too many people in jobs.<br /><br />Now they are sweating because its out in the open and money is going to have to be saved because this feast on taxpayers CANNOT GO ON FOREVER THANKS TO THE BANKERS RUINING THE COUNTRYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-71270539946172293682011-09-20T22:14:49.213+01:002011-09-20T22:14:49.213+01:00Oh dear sounds like some jobs may be on the line s...Oh dear sounds like some jobs may be on the line shortly!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-68774311000455672002011-09-20T21:51:49.553+01:002011-09-20T21:51:49.553+01:00Get them to tell you what happens to all the air m...Get them to tell you what happens to all the air miles they are clocking up with those flights and any other perks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-80690276645071417712011-09-20T20:52:47.591+01:002011-09-20T20:52:47.591+01:00If your pal Mr Swinney is serious about saving us ...If your pal Mr Swinney is serious about saving us 260million a year he will scrap the Crown Office & SLAB and the SLCC while he's at it and put the whole thing off on you.Bloody good idea me thinks the country could do with more crooks behind bars for less (this lot at the CO never get convictions anyway or drop the cases half way through) and those legal eagles at SLAB can do with having their flight wings clipped big time!We know we dont need the SLCC because we have you so that saves their millions too!<br /><br />Carry on Peter you are doing a fine job much better than the papers and looking like you are going to save us money not burn it on bloody lawyers again!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-75123105166323596232011-09-20T20:17:59.924+01:002011-09-20T20:17:59.924+01:00@ Update (today)
Well I tell you Peter this just ...@ Update (today)<br /><br />Well I tell you Peter this just gets worse!<br /><br />SLAB You have GOT to be kidding us.<br /><br />Where are all these flights going to for starters and why are you flying when you are supposed to be working in Scotland only? and all these roadshows are in Scotland only or what?<br /><br />Last time I checked the posties in my town dont fly down to London or Paris to see how mail collecting is done there or hold roadshows rallies or pantos on how to pick up the mail,they do their job in Scotland because this is where they are supposed to be working.<br /><br />So back to the question everyone's been asking.Why are the Scottish Legal Aid Board flying around the country when they are supposed to be handing out or policing (haha bad word these days) legal aid in Scotland and while you lot are at it why are all those lawyers getting away with stealing legal aid while the Law Society covers up for them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-2458488996491151882011-09-18T18:23:43.375+01:002011-09-18T18:23:43.375+01:00Anonymous said...
http://www.slab.org.uk/docu...Anonymous said...<br /><br /> http://www.slab.org.uk/documents/annualreview20102011newsreleaseFINALWEB.pdf<br /> 16 September 2011 15:26 <br /><br />And your point is?<br /><br />I dont see any mention in their report of all this flying around their staff are doing at our expense.<br /><br />Why exactly is the Scottish Legal Aid Board flying all round the planet when they should be dealing with legal aid claims in Scotland?<br /><br />Can anyone other than Peter actually give an honest answer to this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-8395266034429867872011-09-16T15:26:58.311+01:002011-09-16T15:26:58.311+01:00http://www.slab.org.uk/documents/annualreview20102...http://www.slab.org.uk/documents/annualreview20102011newsreleaseFINALWEB.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-7141395064629950202011-09-16T10:35:41.293+01:002011-09-16T10:35:41.293+01:00Anonymous said...
£160million on legal aid an...Anonymous said...<br /><br /> £160million on legal aid and £100million for the Crown Office is a waste of 1/4 billion if you ask me<br /><br /> both of them are geared up to deny us justice not give us justice<br /><br /> 15 September 2011 16:39<br /><br />EXACTLYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-23430976726378200472011-09-16T10:13:19.999+01:002011-09-16T10:13:19.999+01:00If the SNP have any real intention of cleaning up ...If the SNP have any real intention of cleaning up the mess of Scotland's criminal justice system one of the first things they should do is axe this discredited Crown Office.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-21401899806804826522011-09-15T23:56:36.325+01:002011-09-15T23:56:36.325+01:00MacFarlane was arrested after he had come out of S...MacFarlane was arrested after he had come out of Strathclyde Police HQ<br />Herald<br />http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/crown-lawyer-and-prostitute-arrested-1.38380<br /><br />Crown lawyer and prostitute arrested<br /><br />WILLIAM TINNING<br /><br />3 Nov 2005<br /><br />A SENIOR prosecutor has been arrested over an alleged sex act with a prostitute, it was reported last night.<br /><br />Stuart MacFarlane, 37, a principal procurator-fiscal depute in Glasgow, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday in the city's red light district as the vice girl allegedly performed a sex act on him.<br /><br />It is understood Mr MacFarlane, a father-of-two, had attended a function a short time earlier at the Pitt Street headquarters of Strathclyde Police in Glasgow.<br /><br />Last night, Strathclyde police said: "We can confirm that a 37-year-old man and a 27-yearold woman were arrested at about 1.05am on Saturday in Glasgow city centre.<br /><br />"Both are the subject of a report to the procurator-fiscal in connection with alleged indecencies."<br /><br />A Crown Office spokesman said: "A report was submitted to the procurator-fiscal at Glasgow on Monday in relation to an incident involving a member of staff.<br /><br />"In accordance with clearly established procedure the report will be considered by Crown counsel at the Crown Office in Edinburgh in order to ensure absolute impartiality and independence.<br /><br />"We do not comment on personnel issues as these are clearly confidential. However, the member of staff in question is not presently at work."<br /><br />Earlier this week, the Scottish Executive announced a new crackdown on prostitution, with police given the power to charge kerb crawlers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-82157141818585095272011-09-15T23:23:38.662+01:002011-09-15T23:23:38.662+01:00Thanks for your comments & emails on this arti...Thanks for your comments & emails on this article.<br /><br />Regretfully some comments have not been published due to their strength or what appear to be double comments.<br /><br />It is of course important that taxpayers money is spent wisely in the legal system, however as another comment this evening has already stated, a recent report into the Criminal Justice system in Scotland shows it to be lacking in sound financial management, and much of the responsibility for that must rest with the Crown Office who are responsible for prosecutions of criminal offences in Scotland.<br /><br />Saving the taxpayer a few million pounds is what this article is about, and if John Swinney does get "some ideas about cutting the credit card budgets of these wasters in the justice sector" as suggested in a comment at 15 September 2011 17:30, I'm sure other sectors of public life, including patients waiting for medical treatment will be more grateful for the money being spent on them instead of, as suggested in later comments, the money going on what appear to be Crown Office office staff writing up memos to themselves not to prosecute their colleagues for criminal offences ...Diary of Injusticehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00697476580161690118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-8174092887785213222011-09-15T22:28:47.624+01:002011-09-15T22:28:47.624+01:00Good posting & good comments.
Had not realise...Good posting & good comments.<br /><br />Had not realised a copfs had been caught with a rent boy,will check that one out as I'm sure Peter will too.<br /><br />Dont forget Fiscal Depute Stuart MacFarlane was arrested along with a [female] prostitute in 2005 and they dropped the charges against him.PF's are untouchable so if they've been fiddling the books at the Crown Office I wouldnt expect much to be done about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-55137843702804409322011-09-15T21:48:18.134+01:002011-09-15T21:48:18.134+01:00@13:12
You mean like writing up sectarian & r...@13:12<br /><br />You mean like writing up sectarian & racist jokes in emails & little post-its to each other while their boss Mulholland drones on about prosecuting hate crime offences when there's no reasonable chance of conviction?<br /><br />Fuck if people knew what really goes on in the criminal justice system MacAskill would be forced to shut down the Chambers Street gang for good.And about bloody time too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-40583939320035859532011-09-15T21:18:46.292+01:002011-09-15T21:18:46.292+01:00The Audit Scotland report on Criminal justice in S...The Audit Scotland report on Criminal justice in Scotland seems to back up the notion the Crown Office et all are inefficient and too expensive to say the least.<br />http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2011/nr_110906_justice_overview.pdf<br /><br />£56m wasted in Scottish court system – Audit Scotland, probably a lot of it by the Crown Office itself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-79893158938387709792011-09-15T20:39:29.674+01:002011-09-15T20:39:29.674+01:00Again why are the SLCC flying when their business ...Again why are the SLCC flying when their business is supposed to be investigating complaints about the Scottish legal profession?<br />Have these people not been told we are in a recession?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-20254383954420859812011-09-15T20:03:47.100+01:002011-09-15T20:03:47.100+01:00These people at Crown Office write to victims of c...These people at Crown Office write to victims of crime telling them noting will happen to the monsters who commit crimes.This is where they get their millions from for the writing and believe me they enjoy sending out letters.They are masters of deception and incompetence just to keep their jobs with a big salary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-54732670381480569362011-09-15T19:13:41.314+01:002011-09-15T19:13:41.314+01:00Simply put we are in a recession therefore these p...Simply put we are in a recession therefore these people & organisations should not be allowed to run up millions of pounds more on taxpayers just for a few bloody notepads & airline tickets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-70528369955253883272011-09-15T18:50:22.141+01:002011-09-15T18:50:22.141+01:00How many excuses do you think the Crown Office wro...How many excuses do you think the Crown Office wrote down for this mess<br />http://www.heraldscotland.com/crown-office-in-the-dock-after-sinclair-cleared-1.864994<br /><br />Scotland's official prosecutors were last night facing accusations of deep incompetence after the collapse of the World's End trial resulted in the acquittal of a serial sex killer.<br /><br />Scotland's official prosecutors were last night facing accusations of deep incompetence after the collapse of the World's End trial resulted in the acquittal of a serial sex killer.<br /><br />Angus Sinclair, 62, who has already been convicted of two killings and a string of serious indecent offences, was yesterday cleared of murdering Helen Scott and Christine Eadie, both 17, after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence against him.<br /><br />But as politicians lined up to question the Crown Office's handling of the World's End case, particularly its decisions to lead so little available evidence, there were also allegations from senior police figures in Strathclyde that a tactical decision meant four families in Glasgow had also been denied full justice.<br /><br />and THIS<br /><br />Concern about the Crown's tactics was heightened by the mysterious disappearance yesterday morning of the man presenting the case against Sinclair.<br /><br />Advocate-depute Alan Mackay was not in court when Lord Clarke threw out the charges, upholding a defence motion after just eight days of evidence in a case scheduled to last six weeks.<br /><br />HAHA the Crown Office lawyer ran away from the court rather than face the judge HAHA<br /><br />Is this what is meant by "writing things down" and "going places" ? LOL!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-70038260985436717952011-09-15T18:15:29.777+01:002011-09-15T18:15:29.777+01:00Looks like the Councils have been throwing our mon...Looks like the Councils have been throwing our money away on credit cards too!<br /><br />How come the Crown Office & lawyers keep getting an easy ride in the press from all these expenses exposes?<br /><br />Its getting very suspicious!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-80732459313052331992011-09-15T17:30:31.061+01:002011-09-15T17:30:31.061+01:00Anonymous said...
Oh my God! It seems like pe...Anonymous said...<br /><br /> Oh my God! It seems like people need to write things down and go places! Who'd have thought it?<br /><br /> Seriously though, if you're ever familiar with the term "disclosure" you'd realise that the Crown actually need a shed of stationary to produce material. OK, we hope that they've searched for the cheapest suppliers, but hardly major scandal.<br /><br /> 15 September 2011 13:12<br /><br />Oh dear.A Crown Office supporter.What type of person defends the institutionally racist institutionally corrupt Crown Office?!<br /><br />Dear oh dear.Are you afraid Peter's report may give Mr Swinney some ideas about cutting the credit card budgets of these wasters in the justice sector?<br /><br />Good work Peter keep exposing these hoodlums in the legal establishment.Its about time we stopped throwing public money at people who have never been able to provide anyone in this country with justice when its needed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20722989.post-32163717473794039722011-09-15T17:18:32.791+01:002011-09-15T17:18:32.791+01:00I doubt the Crown Office spend 1/2 million on stat...I doubt the Crown Office spend 1/2 million on stationery a year.This is why they couldnt give you a detailed breakdown as the Legal Aid Board did.<br /><br />They couldnt come up with a believable list of items charged for - very suspicious,even the shamed SLCC provided the infoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com