What is corroboration?
An ancient and unique cornerstone of Scots law, the requirement for corroboration means at least two separate and independent pieces of evidence are required to verify facts presented in a criminal trial.
Why is the Scottish Government seeking to end the need for corroboration?
The rule has been blamed for low conviction rates especially in some types of crime, including rape, where independent evidence is difficult to gather. Ministers believe victims are being denied justice under the existing system as too many cases fail to reach court.
Why has the legislation been delayed?
The proposal to abolish the need for corroboration was supported by victims' organisations and, in principle, by Labour MSPs. However it was fiercely opposed by the legal profession which warned it would make miscarriages of justice more likely. The Scottish Government's determination to push the legislation through parliament before Lord Bonomy's review was completed proved a final straw. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill chose to take more time in the hope of achieving wider support.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
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