Justice in the system

Published on Friday 8 May 2009 22:11

JOHN Forysth (Law & Legal Affairs, 4 May) writes about the introduction of McKenzie Friends into the Scottish courts and comments that "Lord Gill has been considering a major overhaul of Scottish justice".

If the Scottish justice system is to be put in order, Lord Gill should consider enforcing the rules that many lawyers and advocates abuse.

Lord Gill knows a lawyer or advocate must not knowingly give false or misleading information to the court or misquote documents or become an accomplice to any fraud, yet these are some of the many abuses that go on in court each day, but those on the bench who are supposed to uphold the law ignore it.

When the late Lord President Emslie and Lord Justice Clerk Wheatley became judges, they sorted out the abuses that were going on at the time with a large volume of criminal appeals which were unfounded and brought just to get fees. They doubled the sentence and the abuses came to a halt, so what is Lord Gill going to do?

DEREK COONEY

Petershill Drive

Glasgow