Lawyers brand court dangerous and intimidating

Alloa Sheriff Court needs bouncers, local solicitors claim

News, 3 August 2006

Lawyers using Alloa Sheriff Court have asked for bouncers to be brought in, claiming it is the most intimidating and dangerous court in Scotland.

Recent disruptions to the court include an incident where a woman was arrested for throwing a hot drink over a witness and another occasion where a second woman was fined £100 for setting off a fire alarm inside the court building. Last week, a man was fined £400 after launching a drunken verbal assault on a local journalist.

Solicitors have claimed that witnesses are too scared to give evidence at the court because they are worried about being attacked outside afterwards. The solicitors also say that people are drinking and taking drugs outside the court.

One local lawyer said he had seen half-empty bottles of Buckfast lying around outside the court and that drunken thugs waiting outside intimidated those going in.

Lack of facilities

He said part of the problem lay with the lack of facilities inside the court building, so that people had nowhere to go while waiting for hearings. He called for bouncers to be brought in to deal with the problem.

Another solicitor said he had seen people assaulted within the court and even attacked with weapons.

Central Scotland Police said two police officers were now on duty at the court almost every day, but that this measure would be short-term and it was up to the court service to look at the problem in the long term.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Court Service said it was aware of the problem and was working with the police to identify a long-term solution.