Cops launch probe after 'unexplained' death of woman on country road
Emergency services had blocked the road off for several hours on Monday morning.
Police have launched an investigation after the death "unexplained" woman on a country road.
Cops were called to a rural road in West Lothian on April 21 just before 6am after reports of a death.
Officers raced to the scene and blocked off Sibbalds Brae, on the outskirts of Bathgate, after being made aware of the death of a woman, reports Edinburgh Live.
It is not thought to be suspicious but a full probe will be carried out. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 5.45am on Monday, 21 April, 2025, we were made aware of the death of a woman on Sibbalds Brae, Bathgate.
'The death is being treated as unexplained but not believed to be suspicious and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.'
It comes as a probe was launched after a woman was reportedly raped near Glasgow Sheriff Court in the early hours of the morning.
The alleged horror sex attack took place at around 3am on Monday April 21 on Carlton Court in the city centre.
Police have cordoned off the street and are combing the scene after receiving reports of a serious sexual assault. Images from the scene show the area taped off as uniformed officers stand guard.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ' Enquiries are ongoing following a report of a serious sexual assault on a woman in Carlton Court, Glasgow around 3am on Monday, 21 April, 2025. Enquiries are at an early stage.'
Reports of rape and attempted rape in Scotland have increased by nine per cent in the past year, figures show. Statistics released by the Scottish Government in February show a jump in the number of reports from 2,545 to 2,785 between 2023 and 2024.
The figure also increased by 25 per cent between 2020 and 2024, though Scotland was in the depths of lockdown for the majority of 2020. Rape Crisis Scotland said more should be done to help young people understand consent. The increase comes as the total number of sexual crimes recorded in 2024 decreased by two per cent.
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Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: 'This is a significant increase in the number of rapes reported to the police. While some of it may be due to increased confidence, we absolutely can't rule out that more rapes are taking place.
'We urgently need to step up our efforts to ensure all young people in Scotland have access to interventions exploring consent and healthy relationships. Unless we are serious about investing in efforts to prevent rape, we are going to keep seeing reports of rape increasing every year.'
The number of non-sexual violent crimes recorded increased by 10 per cent in the most recent year. This was spurred by a 50 per cent spike in the number of reports of domestic abuse offences, which rose from 1,963 to 2,409.
You can find support for issues mentioned in this story at Rape Crisis Scotland here.
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