Arlene Fraser murder trial to be shown in TV documentary

THE public will have a rare insight into the Arlene Fraser case in a film of the trial which is to be broadcast on television.

The programme will be part of a documentary series on Channel 4 which the producers say has the aim of “educating and informing viewers about the legal process by showing the preparation and presentation of trials for serious offences in the High Court.”

Filming has taken place during the six weeks of the trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

On the opening day, the judge, Lord Bracadale, explained to the jurors that they could rest assured that they would not be included.

Others who have attended court, to take part in the trial or as a spectator, have been advised that they can ask to be removed from the finished programme, which is hoped to be screened in the autumn.

The filming of court cases in Scotland, not for immediate news broadcasts but for documentaries, was first allowed in the early 1990s, but interest waned after an initial flurry, primarily because of strict conditions which had to be met, such as the agreement of all the main participants in a trial.

Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest and last month’s sentencing of David Gilroy, who murdered his former lover, Suzanne Pilley, was filmed for immediate broadcast.

However, restrictions were applied and footage of Gilroy or his victim’s family was not allowed, leaving viewers to watch only the judge as he handed down the sentence.