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Edinburgh Live
a day ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Sheriff Court staff confiscate over 200 'bladed weapons' in past year
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info 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."
Scottish Sun
15-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Man plunges 40ft in horror fall from Scots court building as emergency crews race to scene
Details of the terrifying fall have emerged after the dramatic incident earlier today COURT DRAMA Man plunges 40ft in horror fall from Scots court building as emergency crews race to scene Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAN has been left seriously injured after he fell 40 feet from the top floor of the capital's sheriff court. The man, believed to be in his early 20s, landed on the court building's marble floor after apparently climbing over a barrier on the sixth floor and falling to the ground. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The court building was evacuated after the incident 2 Police at the scene after man plunged from top floor Police officers and court staff rushed to the injured man's aid and members of the public were immediately evacuated from the area following the incident around 9.40am yesterday. (THUR) Two ambulances raced to to the scene and paramedics treated the man within the building before rushing him to the city's royal infirmary. It is believed the man suffered two broken ankles and a fractured pelvis following the horror fall. One witness said: 'I saw the guy on the sixth floor just before he fell. I was heading to the canteen when I overheard another man shout out 'what are you doing?'. 'The next thing the young guy just started climbing over the barrier and then he disappeared from my view. 'I couldn't bear to look down but there was a lot of screaming and commotion on the ground level. 'How he has survived that is anyone's guess as it's a 40 foot drop. I was told he landed on his feet and has two broken ankles. 'The paramedics arrived very quickly to attend to him but he was screaming in pain when they moved him into the ambulance.' A second witness said : 'I saw the guy sitting on a bench outside court room three and he seemed to be mumbling to himself. 'Five minutes later he landed about ten feet away from me after failing from the upper floor - I've never seen anything like that in my life. Woman rushed to hospital after horror crash near Scots primary school 'He was in a lot of pain and incredibly there wasn't a drop of blood as he had landed in his feet. 'It could have been so much worse and he's very, very lucky to have survived that fall.' A Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service spokesperson said: 'The Court was temporarily closed this morning to allow access and movement for emergency services to deal with an incident. 'One person has been taken to hospital. The Court re-opened a short while before 11am.' A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "We received a call today to attend an incident at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. 'We dispatched two ambulances to the scene and transported one male patient to New Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.' Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Daily Record
Man plunges from top floor of Edinburgh's sheriff court before landing on marble floor
The man, believed to be in his early 20s, landed on the court building's marble floor after apparently climbing over a barrier on the sixth floor and falling to the ground. A man has been left seriously injured after he fell 40 feet from the top floor of the capital's sheriff court. The man, believed to be in his early 20s, landed on the court building's marble floor after apparently climbing over a barrier on the sixth floor and falling to the ground. Police officers and court staff rushed to the injured man's aid and members of the public were immediately evacuated from the area following the incident around 9.40am today. Two ambulances raced to the scene and paramedics treated the man within the building before rushing him to the city's royal infirmary. It is believed the man suffered two broken ankles and a fractured pelvis following the horror fall. One witness said: "I saw the guy on the sixth floor just before he fell. I was heading to the canteen when I overheard another man shout out 'what are you doing?'. "The next thing the young guy just started climbing over the barrier and then he disappeared from my view. I couldn't bear to look down but there was a lot of screaming and commotion on the ground level. How he survived that is anyone's guess as it's a 40 foot drop. I was told he landed on his feet and has two broken ankles. "The paramedics arrived very quickly to attend to him but he was screaming in pain when they moved him into the ambulance." 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. A second witness said : "I saw the guy sitting on a bench outside court room three and he seemed to be mumbling to himself. Five minutes later he landed about ten feet away from me after falling from the upper floor - I've never seen anything like that in my life. "He was in a lot of pain and incredibly there wasn't a drop of blood as he had landed on his feet. It could have been so much worse and he's very, very lucky to have survived that fall." A Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service spokesperson said: "The Court was temporarily closed this morning to allow access and movement for emergency services to deal with an incident. "One person has been taken to hospital. The Court re-opened a short while before 11am." A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "We received a call today to attend an incident at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. "We dispatched two ambulances to the scene and transported one male patient to New Edinburgh Royal Infirmary."
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Daily Record
Man rushed to hospital as Edinburgh Sheriff Court closes after 'incident'
Edinburgh Sheriff court was forced to close while emergency services dealt with an incident. A man has been rushed to hospital following an "incident" that forced Edinburgh Sheriff Court to close. Mercy crews scrambled to the court in the capital this morning. Images taken from on Chambers Street this morning show a large group of people and several ambulances gathered as the court was forced to temporarily close, reports Edinburgh Live. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service confirmed that the emergency services dealt with an incident which led to one person being rushed to hospital. After briefly being closed, the court then reopened at around 11am. The Scottish Ambulance Service then said a man was transported to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. His condition is not yet known. A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service added: "We received a call today to attend an incident at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. "We dispatched two ambulances to the scene and transported one male patient to New Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.' A Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service spokesperson said: 'The Court was temporarily closed this morning to allow access and movement for emergency services to deal with an incident. "One person has been taken to hospital. The Court re-opened a short while before 11am.' Police Scotland were approached for comment. Yesterday, in a separate incident, we reported that a Scotmid shopper was sparred jail at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after setting upon a worker with mashed potatoes. Although Peter Fergus had been warned he could be caged over the carnage, the 46-year-old avoided prison over the incident, which saw him having a meltdown in the middle of the supermarket branch in Edinburgh. The incident took place at the Restalrig Road store on March 17, 2025, and saw him smacking the worker with a packet of mashed potatoes. He pleaded guilty to assaulting the retail worker by striking him with the pack of mashed potato, lunging at him and attempting to headbutt him. He was warned by a sheriff he could face a custodial sentence, but returned for sentencing last week at the city's sheriff court where he was given a community payback order and a fine of £700. Last month the court heard how Fergus entered the store on March 17, 2025, before being approached by a member of staff who asked if he required assistance. Fergus became "aggressive and confrontational" before lunging towards him, striking him with the packet of mashed potato and repeatedly punching him on the head. The shocking incident was captured on CCTV. The Restalrig local pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a retail worker engaged at the time in retail work and was told as part of his bail conditions he was not to enter the store. 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'.
Press and Journal
09-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Highland coach who persuaded teen boys to pose naked launches appeal bid
A former American football coach who was jailed for persuading teenagers to pose naked for a fake sex education video is to appeal his conviction and sentence. Robert 'Robbie' Paulin – who had previously served as head coach of the Highland Wildcats – was convicted of two counts of facilitating the involvement in pornography of a person aged under 18 by a jury at Inverness Sheriff Court. On April 24 the 39-year-old was handed a two-year jail sentence by Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald. During the hearing, his advocate, Kelly Duling, told the court Paulin maintained his innocence. In Scotland, those convicted of serious offences are entitled to lodge appeals to the court. That enables their lawyers to make legal arguments, claiming that the conviction or the sentence – or both – were unsafe or too severe compared to similar cases. In this case, Paulin's legal representatives have intimated their intention to appeal both the conviction and sentence. A spokesman for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service confirmed the development this afternoon. A senior judge or appeal sheriff will now decide whether or not to grant permission for the appeal to proceed based on legal matters and evidence. If permission is granted, an appeal hearing is likely to be held within the coming months before a panel of three judges. The four-day trial had heard that Paulin had led outreach sessions in a number of schools and had had contact with a number of young people 'in the thousands' over a 17-year period. Paulin's victims – now in their 20s – gave evidence describing how they became close to the older man before the crimes took place between 2012 and 2014. One, aged 17, posed naked for indecent photographs – some of which Paulin himself took. These included photographs of his victim's penis and video of the teenager performing a solo sex act. Paulin also had a second boy, aged 15, pose naked while he took indecent images, including photographs of his penis, and attempted to take video of him performing a solo sex act. The teenagers believed that the images were for use in educational material. Giving evidence in his own defence, Paulin repeatedly denied all of the conduct described by his accusers and, under cross-examination, claimed that both had 'grievances' against him. Sentencing Paulin, of Glenmoriston, to two years in jail, Sheriff MacDonald told him: 'You took the opportunity to groom these young men – you spotted their individual vulnerabilities and made a plan. 'You manipulated and deceived them, you tricked them both.'
