Writer in clear over World's End court case

Published on Tuesday 20 November 2007 13:43

CRIME writer Reg McKay walked away from court today with the shadow of potential contempt proceedings over the World's End murders case lifted.

Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh granted leave to withdraw a contempt of court petition brought against Mr McKay and book publishers Black & White. The Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Gill, said: "There would be no useful purpose prolonging these proceedings."

The Crown had initially raised contempt proceedings over a book called Dancing with Death, which it claimed raised a risk of justice being prejudiced over Angus Sinclair's trial.

Sinclair, 62, was charged with the 1977 murders of 17-year-olds Christine Eadie and Helen Scott, which he denied. Earlier this year his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh collapsed after the judge, Lord Clarke, upheld a no-case-to-answer submission.

The Crown had raised proceedings against Mr McKay and the Edinburgh publishers after claiming the book permitted potential jurors to assess Sinclair's character as it revealed his previous convictions.