Edinburgh Sheriff Court staff confiscate over 200 'bladed weapons' in past year
More than 200 bladed weapons were confiscated from people entering Edinburgh Sheriff Court in the past year.
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show guns, bullets and 2,000 blades are among the deadly haul of weapons brought into Scottish courts in the last year.
Security staff seized 1,258 bladed items and 815 knives at courthouse checkpoints between April 2024 and March this year.
Edinburgh's Sheriff Court was the second worst affected building in Scotland, with more than 200 bladed weapons and 119 knives found by security staff at checkpoints between April 2024 and March this year.
The data, obtained by our sister title the Daily Record, did not reveal which types of knives were seized or whether the blades were over three inch legal limit for carrying in public.
Glasgow Sheriff Court takes the unwanted place at the top of the weapons list with 278 blades seized and 123 knives. The worst month was October 2024 where a total of 40 bladed articles and 16 knives were seized.
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) said they take the safety of all court users "very seriously" and security crews alert police when attempts to smuggle in weapons are made.
However knife crime charity, the Ben Kinsella Trust, branded the grim statistics as "deeply alarming".
Chief executive Patrick Green said: "The large number of bladed articles seized at the entrance of court buildings is deeply alarming.
"What's especially concerning is that the prospect of a search isn't deterring individuals, which points to a worrying normalisation of knife carrying."
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages.
Blades have also made their way into Scotland's two High Courts where the country's most serious crimes are tried.
The data shows that 174 bladed articles were taken from individuals at Glasgow High Court, whilst 51 knives were confiscated.
In the capital, Edinburgh High Court has a much reduced rate of sharp weapons entering the building. Only six bladed articles were confiscated whilst 22 knives were seized..
Some data from the country's smaller courts were not available.
A spokesperson for Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: "SCTS takes the safety of all court users very seriously. We constantly review security issues and share those outcomes with our justice partners, including Police Scotland, in order to take all reasonable precautions against weapons being introduced into court buildings.
"Any item which is considered to be a potential risk to public safety will be confiscated on entering a court building and the discovery of weapons or potential weapons is immediately reported to the police."
A Scottish Violence Reduction Unit spokesperson said: "There is no place for weapon-carrying in Scotland and we should not accept it.
"We must continue to work together across all services to tackle the root causes of weapon-carrying to address the problem."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Man dies after being found injured in Aberdeen flat as probe launched
Emergency crews were called to Skene Street in the Granite City after the alarm was raised at around 3pm on Sunday, August 3. A man has died after being found injured in a flat in Aberdeen. Emergency crews were called to Skene Street in the Granite City after the alarm was raised at around 3pm on Sunday, August 3. Officers were responding to reports of a 25-year-old having been found injured. We previously told how the man was fighting for his life at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where his condition was described at critical. Police have now confirmed that the man sadly passed away today. A picture taken on Monday showed a home cordoned off with officers in attendance. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. No one has yet been arrested. Detectives say their enquiries to establish the full circumstances remain ongoing and they are appealing for information. Detective Inspector Andrew Machray said: 'Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased at this time. 'We are carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances and there will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days. 'We'd like to thank the public for their assistance with our investigation so far and would encourage anyone with information or concerns to contact police or speak to local officers in the area. 'Anyone with information can contact police on 101.' Quote incident 1991 of August 3, 2025.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Man dies at Scots ice rink as emergency services race to scene
Emergency services were called to Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy after the alarm was raised at around 10.25am on Tuesday, August 5. A man has tragically died after becoming unwell at a Scots ice rink. Emergency services were called to Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy after the alarm was raised at around 10.25am on Tuesday, August 5. Police and ambulance crews were pictured near the entrance to the arena on Rosslyn Street in the town as efforts were made to save him. Sadly though, he died at the scene. Officers say the death is not being treated as suspicious. Fife Ice Arena is the home of Fife Flyers ice hockey club however the venue had been closed for maintenance ahead of the start of the new season, which gets underway in September. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'We were called around 10.25am on Tuesday to a report of a person taken unwell in the Rosslyn Street area of Kirkcaldy. 'Emergency services attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. 'There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. We're also on Facebook - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Record, Sunday Mail and Record Online
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Pensioner who ran seedy brothel inside Edinburgh spa spared jail
Ian Douglas Haig ran an illegal brothel from the Scorpio Leisure sauna in Edinburgh between 2016 and 2022. A Scots businessman caught running a brothel from inside a notorious Edinburgh sauna has been spared a jail sentence. Ian Douglas Haig operated the illegal sex business from the Scorpio Leisure premises in the Leith area of the capital between 2016 and 2022. Haig, 82, made a living from the brothel by charging patrons an entry fee and being paid a flat rate by the sex workers for renting out one of the sauna's five bedrooms. The pensioner was found to be running the sex den after a woman died within the premises leading to a police investigation into the circumstances of the death in April 2022. Officers interviewed staff and clients who had attended the sauna and discovered the business was also being used for prostitution purposes. Haig was arrested and charged and pleaded guilty to allowing the sauna to be used as a brothel between March 1, 2016 and April 30, 2022 when he appeared on indictment at the capital's sheriff court last month. The company director was back in the dock for sentencing on Tuesday where Sheriff Fergus Thomson said he would be stepping back from a custodial sentence and instead issued a restriction of liberty order. The OAP was ordered to wear an electronic tag on his ankle and stay within his home address between 7pm and 7am for the next 90 days. A Crown motion for a proceeds of crime order was continued to October. Previously a written narration was read out to the court describing Haig, of the capital's New Town, as the 'the long standing tenant' and 'the operator of the business known as Scorpio Leisure'. The narration stated: 'Scorpio Leisure was offering paying customers massage services, advertised itself as a sauna and operated as a brothel.' The court was told patrons entered the sauna through a locked inner door and the inside of the building included a lounge, a staff kitchen with 16 lockers, a shower area and changing room. The narration read: 'There were five rooms all containing a bed, mirrors on the walls, a corner bath and showers. The rooms contained stocks of wipes, lubricants and shower gel.' The court heard a woman passed away in non-suspicious circumstances within the sauna on April 30, 2022 sparking a police investigation. A number of women working at the sauna were interviewed and said men attending the brothel paid Haig an entrance fee of £20 per person for a 30 minutes session and £35 for 90 minutes. The narration detailed the brothel's pricing structure stating customers paid the women £50 for a 30 minute appointment and £75 for 90 minutes. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The court was told the sex workers would then pay Haig £10 per client for the use of one of the bedrooms. The narration added: 'Clients attending at Scorpio Leisure selected the women at the lounge area then moved to a bedroom. 'Some of those clients provided statements on their interactions with the accused either on arrival or departure and were quite clear the accused knew the premises were being operated as a brothel.' Nurses from the health charity SACRO regularly attended the premises to 'supply condoms and offer sexual health advice and support to the women working there'. Lawyer Nigel Bruce, defending, said his client was involved in 'an unusual type of case' and that he had been previously investigated for a similar offence but not prosecuted in 2013. Mr Bruce said: 'Everyone in Edinburgh knew this place was run as a brothel including the police, the Crown authorities and social workers. 'SACRO regularly attended there and police officers were regularly in attendance and it was well known the premises were being operated as a brothel. 'He seems to have taken pride in his job and he seems to have a care for the welfare of the women who essentially were self-employed.' The solicitor added there had been 'no coercion or exploitation involved' of the women working at the sauna. Haig, who used to be in the merchant navy, was the sole shareholder of Darrock Ltd before the company was dissolved earlier this year.
