Angiolini and Hamilton agree on independence

Lord Advocate and Lord Justice General meet over parliament statement

News, 4 October 2007

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The Lord Justice General and the Lord Advocate have agreed that the independence of the judiciary and the prosecution are key to the operation of the criminal justice system.

A Crown Office statement confirmed that the two met yesterday to try to resolve the row over the collapse of the "World's End" trial. After Lord Clarke threw out the case against Angus Sinclair for the murder of the two teenagers last seen alive in Edinburgh's World's End pub in 1977, the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini made a statement to the Scottish Parliament defending the prosecution's role and suggesting that the Crown would have appealed had it been able to.

The Lord Justice General, Lord Hamilton, wrote to her saying the move was inappropriate and disrespectful to the trial judge, but the Lord Advocate defended her actions.

The Crown Office statement on the meeting said: "It was accepted that, where there is serious public and parliamentary concern, it will sometimes be necessary for the Lord Advocate to explain more fully the Crown's position in a particular case.

"It is expected that this would only occur in exceptional circumstances. In doing so, the Lord Advocate would always make it absolutely clear that the judge's decision must be respected."

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