One fifth of G8 cases dropped
26 Sep 05
Crown Office confirms 59 out of 299 cases now marked "no further proceedings"
The Crown Office has confirmed that a fifth of court cases against G8 Summit protesters have now been dropped.
Of the 299 people arrested and taken into custody, 59 have had their cases marked "no further proceedings". The cases that were dropped include a group of 34 who were arrested for disrupting traffic on the A9 near Gleneagles on the day the summit began on 6 July. These cases were being dealt with by procurators fiscal in Stirling and Falkirk.
Prosecutors in Perth have also dropped 25 of the 91 cases they were handling. Edinburgh and Glasgow prosecutors are handling 105 and 22 cases respectively and so far, none of these cases have been dropped.
The majority of offences were for breach of the peace, although charges against 26 people arrested in Edinburgh relate to more serious clashes with the police.
A spokeswoman for the Crown Office said there was no policy to drop G8 cases en masse and that each case would be considered on its merits.
Some legal and political commentators are suggesting that the police were using arrest as a tactic to prevent demonstrators exercising their right to protest.