A leading QC has insisted rape victims are treated fairly in Scottish courts after the country's most senior judge repeated concerns over the way they are cross-examined in the witness box.

Veteran advocate Gordon Jackson warned of the potentially chilling effect that "judicial criticism" could have on the defences of those accused of sexual offences.

Writing in The Herald, Mr Jackson was responding to new remarks from Lord Carloway, the Lord President, signalling that courts would protect alleged victims of sex crimes from tough grilling by defence agents.

Lord Carloway, pictured below, said: "It is the duty of the court to stop abuses of the privilege of cross-examination.

"The dignity of the witness has to be protected and repetitive questions, insulting questions, have to be eliminated."

The Herald:

His latest words echo his landmark August 2015 ruling when he condemned another QC, Brian McConnachie, for opening a cross-examination by asking a victim she was "a wicked, deceitful, malicious, vindictive, liar".

Lord Carloway, in warning to zealous defence agents, said judges must step in to protect complaining witnesses from "protracted or vexatious questioning".

This delighted victims' rights and women's groups, who have been horrified at the way sex crime complainers are treated in court.

But it horrified some advocates, who felt that they may be restricting in pursuing the most zealous defence possible of clients accused of very serious crimes.

The Herald:

In his Herald article, Mr Jackson, pictured above, a former Labour MSP, said defence agents should be able to "conduct the trial without constantly looking over their shoulder and worrying about their own position".

He agreed with Lord Carloway that advocates already have to worry that their clients may claim they were badly represented in a so-caled Anderson Appeal.

But he added: "What will only make the situation worse however is the added fear of judicial criticism.

"Of course, a witness should not be insulted or harassed and a judge is fully entitled to stop that happening.

"I support the proposal that a complainer has the right to be heard when the defence seeks her medical records; all well and good but there also seems to be an underlying suggestion that, nowadays, counsel regularly or generally cross exam in an inappropriate manner.

"That may happen on occasions but it most definitely is not the norm. Many lines of questioning must, in any event, be authorised in advance by the judge."

Mr Jackson stressed that he was not aware of judges allowing "questions during a trial that are irrelevant and designed to upset and insult the witness".

He added: "If, however, that is the case and judges are not doing their job properly then I assume Lord Carloway himself can deal with that issue."

"Defending and cross examining in such trials is not easy.

"The advocate is an officer of the court but is not an intermediary. His or her role in an adversarial system is to properly and robustly represent the interests of the accused and to do that fearlessly."

Sandy Brindley, of Rape Crisis Scotland, pictured below, said: "At times rape complainers can feel that no one is protecting them in court."

The Herald: SANDY BRINDLEY WHO IS THE NATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR OF RAPE CRISIS SCOTLAND, BASED IN GLASGOW. (51153705)