Morning Briefing: Prisons boss to probe Mitchell lie detector video | Extra cash for Scottish-based musicians at the Fringe | Signs worst of housing market slump over

SCOTLAND’S prisons inspector has pledged to investigate the “extraordinary” decision by jail bosses to allow killer Luke Mitchell to make a video behind bars protesting his innocence.

The footage, which was posted on YouTube at the weekend, shows Mitchell passing a lie detector test in which he denies killing girlfriend Jodi Jones in 2003, when they were both 14.

Mitchell was convicted of the murder in 2005 and ordered to serve at least 20 years.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) admitted it had given permission for the video, but claimed it did not know it would be posted on YouTube.

Jodi was brutally murdered near her home in Easthouses, Midlothian, after she had gone out to meet Mitchell. Her throat had been slit and her body was mutilated.

Mitchell has consistently denied the murder. In 2008, he lost an appeal against his conviction.

The video made Mitchell the first UK prisoner to be allowed to post footage of a lie detector test on YouTube. He answers a series of general questions about himself and others directly related to Jodi’s

murder.

The commission looks into potential miscarriages of justice and can recommend a fresh appeal.

Extra cash for Scottish-based musicians at the Fringe

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has announced extra cash to support Scottish-based musicians to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The annual Made in Scotland funding programme, which has backed 56 theatre and dance productions at the Fringe since 2009, is being expanded to include music acts for the first time.

Ms Hyslop said £100,000 had been earmarked to help musicians this year. The overall 2013 Made in Scotland funding will be announced later.

She made the announcement at Creative Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh, where she met members of The Blueswater, whose 2012 Fringe performances earned the Edinburgh-based band a prestigious Mervyn Stutter Sprit of the Fringe Award.

Ms Hyslop said: “The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s biggest arts festival, attracting visitors and artists from all over the globe to experience the cultural and creative talent it has to offer.

“It makes strong economic sense to ensure Scotland’s own exceptional talent is at the centre of the Fringe and our artists are given opportunities to benefit from the global exposure the festival brings

Signs worst of housing market slump over

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said today there were signs that the worst of the slump in the Scottish housing market may be over.

House sales look set to continue to rise over the next quarter, they said.

The findings are contained in Rics’s housing market survey for December, which concluded that the positive outlook comes at a time when confidence is growing.

With transactions expected to increase, demand from would-be buyers remained positive last month, with the number of homes coming up for sale also increasing, the study finds.

Sarah Speirs, Rics Scotland director, said: “As we start the new year, confidence in the housing market does appear to be improving, with Rics members predicting that transaction levels will continue to increase in many parts of Scotland.

“However, despite these tentative signs of recovery in the sales market, more still needs to be done to ensure potential buyers can access the market at every level.”

Across the UK, London bucked the overall trend in December and saw significant increases in prices, while the North East and Wales saw the biggest drops.