News In Focus
3 September 2010
Trial halted following cannabis campaign launch
A sheriff court trial concerning charges of cannabis cultivation has been stopped by a sheriff in the wake of the launch of a Government campaign to crack down on drug farming.
Legal restrictions prevent details of the case being released, but the Crown Office confirmed that "a sheriff has deserted a trial involving a number of accused charged with having been involved in cannabis production, following the SCDEA campaign".
The campaign was launched on Monday by SCDEA, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, along with Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill. Directed against gangs, many from south east Asia, who use homes, farm buildings or industrial premises for large scale cultivation of the drug, it calls on the public to help tackle cannabis production in Scotland.
The sheriff's decision leaves the Crown free to bring the case to trial at a later date, but opoposition politicians questioned the timing of the campaign.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said that decisions relating to the timing of proceedings with individual cases were a matter for the courts.
- The Scottish Court Service is to hold a full investigation into the ending of a separate trial against a man charged with breach of the peace and police assault, when a sheriff failed to appear on the due date for a second time (as reported yesterday).